Week 2 PHY 106 Quantum Physics

Instructor: Sebastian Wüster, IISER Bhopal, 2018

These notes are provided for the students of the class above only.
There is no warranty for correctness, please contact me if you spot a mistake.

1.2) Some Mechanics and Math

To understand why the invention of quantum
mechanics (PHY106) was necessary, we have to first
know classical mechanics (PHY101)

To understand mechanics, we need some math.

The following is the shortest possible crash-course,

anything not familiar, please revise…
 Harmonic oscillator
PHY 101

Harmonic oscillator
Newton’s equation
·· = − kx(t)
F(t) = ma(t) = m x(t)
k
x(t) Differential equation
d 2 x(t)
m = − kx(t)
m dt 2
x=0
 Harmonic oscillator

Differential equation What does it mean?

d 2 x(t) How do I solve it?
m = − kx(t)
dt 2

Revise: MTH 101

OR find “mathematics for engineers” type online course, e.g.
https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mathematics/18-01sc-single-variable-calculus-fall-2010/
index.htm
 Harmonic oscillator
Differential equation
What does it mean?
d 2 x(t) How do I solve it?
= − kx(t)
dt 2
slope of tangent line at x(t)
dx(t)
dt

slope of slope at x(t)

d 2 x(t)
Fig. 1
dt 2
Graph (position x as time t goes on)
Graph (height of mountain x as we go from left to right along t)
 Harmonic oscillator
Differential equation
= find a function which has “slope
d 2 x(t) of slope” equal to -k/m* itself
m = − kx(t)
dt 2

Solution 1: https://www.wolframalpha.com/
DSolve[D[x[t],{t,2}]==-k/m x[t],x[t],t]
and: download and install “mathematica” from CC

Solution 2: Math course on “solving ODE”s.

d 2 x(t) 2
Solution 3: Ansatz / Guess dt 2 = − Aω0 cos(ω0t)

k dx(t)
ω0 = x(t) = A cos(ω0t) = − Aω0 sin(ω0t)
m dt
 Driven harmonic oscillator

See demo of driven pendulum.

e.g. http://www.walter-fendt.de/html5/phen/resonance_en.htm

Additional driving force and damping

d 2 x(t)
m = − kx(t) + F(t) − γ̃v(t)
dt 2
dx(t)
= F̃0 sin(ωt) = − γ̃
dt
Cleanup NOT ω0
d 2 x(t) 2 dx(t)
= − ω0 x(t) + F0 sin(ωt) − γ
dt 2 dt
DSolve[D[x[t],{t,2}]==-omega0^2 x[t] + F0 Sin[omega t] - gamma D[x[t],t],x[t],t]
 Driven harmonic oscillator

Additional driving force and damping

d 2 x(t) 2 dx(t)
= − ω0 x(t) + F0 sin(ωt) − γ (1)
dt 2 dt

Ansatz / Guess
x(t) = A sin(ωt) + B cos(ωt)

Exercise: • Find A, B from (1) , using that sin

and cos are independent.
• Then rewrite as:
x(t) = C sin(ωt + φ)
 Driven harmonic oscillator
We find this driven oscillator
response:
x(t) = C sin(ωt + φ) (2)

Amplitude
| F0 |
C=
(3)
γ 2ω 2 + (ω 2 − ω02)2
 Driven harmonic oscillator
We find this driven oscillator
response:
x(t) = C sin(ωt + φ) (2)

Amplitude
| F0 |
C=
(3)
γ 2ω 2 + (ω 2 − ω02)2

Phase

( ω − ω0 )
γω
φ = arctan 2 2
{−π}
(4)
 Driven harmonic oscillator

This is called a resonance

x(t) = C sin(ωt + φ) (2)

Amplitude
| F0 |
C=
(3)
γ 2ω 2 + (ω 2 − ω02)2

One of the most important results

of physics!!!!
 Driven harmonic oscillator

We skipped the math about the initial transient

Initially, oscillator takes some time to “settle”

1.3) The dawn of quantum physics
(more motivation)

As discussed in the movies, around 1900

is said to mark the dawn of quantum
physics, or more generally modern
physics.

What came before is hence called

classical physics.
 Status of Physics ~1890
fill in lecture

Electromagnetism
fill in lecture

Mechanics
Celestial bodies Generators, light bulbs

Classical Physics
Radio waves
Engineering/
construction Thermodynamics
fill in lecture

Steam engines

Hot Air Balloon

 Physics a solved case? ~1890

Newton’s equations, motion gravity: 1687

Maxwell’s equations, electro-magnetism: 1864

Thermodynamics, Statistical mechanics: 1850-1871

some thought around that time, theoretical physics

was approaching completeness and now all that is
left is get more precision and apply it to details…..

Problems in: Combining the disciplines

The problem with blackbody radiation

movie from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISFmvNEIeR4

 Temperatures and color
T~6000°
(Flame)
Sun
T~500°

T~1500°

T~500°
T~300°

Hot metal
T~500°
T~1000°
T~1200°
 The problem with blackbody radiation
Black-body:
Object that absorbs and re-emits all incoming
radiation. Such as small hole in a hollow box.

Emitted light
= electro-magnetic radiation:

Should all be explainable by combining

thermodynamics and electro-magnetism
 Radiation spectrum

Prism
 The problem with blackbody radiation
Blackbody spectroscopy using prism
Spectrum = how much
Blackbody Prism light at which wavelength

T~500°
visible range

T~1000°

T~1500°
 The problem with blackbody radiation

more details and math: Week (4)

 The problem with the Photoeffect

movie from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcSYV8bJox8, Univ. Cal. Berkeley

 The problem with the Photoeffect
Electron experiencing classical force
due to electric field in the light:

Energy Efield

z
 The problem with the Photoeffect
Classically: -Effect depends on Force F = − eE
-Transient!
Amplitude
| F0 |
C=
γ 2ω 2 + (ω 2 − ω02)2

Energy Efield

z
 The problem with the Photoeffect
experimental observation
fill in lecture fill in lecture
No Photo-electrons eject
for too low frequencies
Kinetic energy of Photo-
electrons depends only on light
frequency
First Photo-electrons eject
immediately after light arrival
more details and math: Week (4)
classical expectation
With sufficient intensity,
there should be some e- for
all frequencies
It should rather depend on
intensity
e- should require some time
to acquire enough energy to
eject
 Solving those problems

Addressing these problems

resulted in a revolution of all fields
of physics ➡Modern Physics
 New Physics after 1900
Quantum mechanics Quantum electro-dynamics/
(this course)
-quanta of elm fields
Classical:
-quanta of charge
-anti-particles

Quantum thermodynamics
Quantum: Bosons like Fermions avoid
each other each other

Modern Physics
 New Physics after 1900
Particle physics Material science

superconductors
-what is the world data storage
really made of?
new stuff:
-quarks, leptons
-strong and weak forces
-neutrinos, Higgs semi-conductors
synthetic/exotic materials
 New Physics after 1900
due to one more problem with classical physics, see book
fill in lecture

Special Relativity General Relativity

fill in
lecture

mass warps space-time

v<c black holes
time dilation cosmology
length contraction

Modern Physics
 Quantum mechanics around us
Smartphone:
fill in lecture

LED:
fill in

-transistors
-storage -Light emitting diode /
-GPS semi-conductors

Laser:
fill in
CCD camera:
fill in

light amplification
and coherence
MRI, GPS, -photon detection
-industry
-research Solar Cell, STM
 Open fundamental questions
Quantum gravity Dark Matter and Energy

???
String theory?
(problem in merging
disciplines)
we don’t understand 95% of
stuff in the universe
 Open fundamental questions
Quantum-classical
Unification transition

from https://www.hep.ucl.ac.uk/theory/bsm.shtml animation from:

homepages.physik.uni-
muenchen.de/~milq/
 Quantum physics in chemistry, biology

Chemistry = quantum physics

(+some thermal physics)
sketch of Benzene molecule

Quantum Biology ???

sense of smell ⊃
vibration spectroscopy
magnetic field “vision” of birds