Undergraduate - UnitPHS3142 - Theoretical physics II

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2012 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 0 (NATIONAL PRIORITY), 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered, or view unit timetables.

Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Science
Offered	Clayton Second semester 2012 (Day)
Coordinator(s)	Dr Alexis Bishop

Synopsis

This unit provides part of a major in theoretical physics. It consists of two 12-lecture sub-units, Advanced Quantum Mechanics and Computational Physics and a 12-hour seminar sub-unit. The key areas of study are:

Advanced Quantum Mechanics: spin angular momentum, perturbation theory, scattering theory and the quantum theory of radiation;
Computational Physics: discrete arrays to model the space and time evolution of functions or physical systems; a hands-on approach is used throughout to develop confidence and competency in using a computer to solve physical problems; includes a computer based assignment and short computational physics project; and
Theoretical Seminar: seminar participation in theoretical problems, projects and presentations.

Outcomes

On completion of this unit students will be able to understand fundamental Quantum Mechanics concepts and their application, including the Dirac notation, angular momentum and spin, perturbation theory and scattering theory; apply appropriate theoretical relationships relevant to the above areas; compare approaches to a variety of physics problems by computer simulation, numerical or analytic solution of the defining equations; write short reports on selected theoretical physics topics of current interest; present a seminar and a poster on a topic in theoretical physics.