ENEE 690: Quantum and Wave Phenomena With Electrical Applications

Course Goals:

The purpose of this course is to acquaint electrical engineering students with elementary quantum mechanics. Both physical understanding and mathematical skills will be important in this course.

Course Prerequisite:

ENEE 381 or equivalent.

Topic Prerequisite:

Waves and interference in microwave and optical regions, Linear Algebra, and Modern Physics.

References:

1. French and Taylor, An Introduction to Quantum Physics.
2. Park, Introduction to Quantum Theory.
3. R. L. Liboff, Introductory Quantum Mechanics.
4. Merzbacher, Quantum Mechanics.

Core Topics:

• Fundamentals of quantum mechanics. Waves and wave packets, probabilistic interpretation. - 1 week
• Schroedinger's equation, uncertainty relation and Fourier analysis, observables and operators. - 2 weeks
• Solution of Schroedinger's equation in simple cases. One-dimensional potentials, wells, barriers, harmonic oscillator. Two- and three-dimensional boxes. - 2 weeks
• Similar problems in electrical engineering: microwave resonator, optical fiber. - 1-1/2 weeks
• Angular Momentum. Hydrogen Atom. Exclusion Principle, Periodic Table. - 2-1/2 weeks
• Perturbation methods in quantum mechanics and electrical engineering. - 2 weeks

Optional Topics:

• Elementary theory of crystals and the periodically loaded waveguide.
• Dirac formalism. Matrix mechanics.
• Identical particles and statistics.

Last Updated:

April 20, 1993, J. Goldhar