PHYS-C0250 - Quantum Materials, 19.04.2021-04.06.2021

Part of the this course is a special exercise. The purpose of the special exercise is to report some topic in more depth than was possible in the lectures.  Your are encouraged to select your own topic that remained puzzling you in the course. Especially some modern developments related to quantum mechanics could be selected. As examples, I list here a couple of topics:

- wave equation for sound

- nonlinear waves

- 3 D wave equation solution in case of  total internal reflection, evanescent wave

- Compton scattering experiment explained in more detail (find original publication)

- proving uncertainty relation

- read Bohr's original paper (1913), explain content

- neutron scattering from crystals, how it is done

- solution of Schrödinger equation in 1D finite rectangular potential well and harmonic oscillator

- tunneling through non-rectangular potential well (WKB approximation)

- calculation of transition rates in hydrogen atom 

The purpose is that you write a report, a few pages long. Try to understand the topic you selected, and then tell in your own words what you learned about it. If your topic is based on some publication, you do not have to report everything in it. Being 10% of the course evaluation, the special exercise corresponds to 13 hours work. Do not use more time than that, including the writing.

Mail me (Erkki) the topic you want to choose and feel free to pose additional questions. We hope that you select different topics, but it is not excluded more than one student to select the same topic. In this case, you can either work independently or collaborate.