Introduction to quantum theory
Knowledge you need to have:
Knowledge of experimental observations that cannot be explained by classical physics, but can be explained using quantum theory:
black-body radiation curves (ultraviolet catastrophe)
the formation of emission and absorption spectra
the photoelectric effect
Knowledge of the Bohr model of the atom in terms of the quantisation of angular momentum, the principal quantum number n and electron energy states, and how this explains the characteristics of atomic spectra.
Description of experimental evidence for the particle-like behaviour of ‘waves’ and for the wave-like behaviour of ‘particles’.
Knowledge that it is not possible to know the position and the momentum of a quantum particle simultaneously.
Knowledge that it is not possible to know the lifetime of a quantum particle and the associated energy change simultaneously.
Knowledge of implications of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, including the concept of quantum tunnelling, in which a quantum particle can exist in a position that, according to classical physics, it has insufficient energy to occupy.
Skills you need to develop:
Use of appropriate relationships to solve problems involving the uncertainties in position, momentum, energy, and time. The lifetime of a quantum particle can be taken as the uncertainty in time.
Use of an appropriate relationship to solve problems involving photon energy and frequency.
Use of an appropriate relationship to solve problems involving the angular momentum of an electron and its principal quantum number.
Use of an appropriate relationship to solve problems involving the de Broglie wavelength of a particle and its momentum.
Use of appropriate relationships to solve problems involving the uncertainties in position, momentum, energy, and time. The lifetime of a quantum particle can be taken as the uncertainty in time.
