Course schedule:
Thursday 12-14 (lectures), room CE 103
Tuesday 13-15 (exercises), room CM 011

Final exam: January 13 and 14, room CM-1-104
Exam rules and topics: PostScript, PDF.

Lecturer: Prof. Dmitri Ivanov
tel: 3-3419, office: PH-H2-497, e-mail: dmitri.ivanov (at) epfl.ch
Assistant: Darius Sadri
e-mail: darius.sadri (at) epfl.ch

Course program:
1. Quasiclassical approximation
2. Scattering theory (elastic scattering)

Recommended textbooks:
L.D.Landau, E.M.Lifshitz, Quantum Mechanics: Non-Relativistic Theory, Vol. 3, Third Edition
G.Baym, Lectures on Quantum Mechanics

Helpful textbook on complex analysis:
P.Henrici, Applied and computational complex analysis.
This three-volume book explains computing integrals by the residue method,
the saddle-point approximation (with the Airy function as an example)
and other helpful info on complex analysis.

Good reading on quasiclassical approximation and analytic continuation method:
M.V.Berry and K.E.Mount, Reports on Progress in Physics, v35(1), p.315 (1972) [link to the PDF file (via EPFL subscription)]

Some references for the course topics: (text file)

Problem sets:

• Problem Set 0: Reviewing basic quantum mechanics. PostScript, PDF.
  Distributed: 21.09.10.
  
• Problem Set 1: Quasiclassical boundary conditions. Saddle-point approximation. Asymptotics of the Airy function. PostScript, PDF.
  Distributed: 21.09.10.
  
• Problem Set 2: Quasiclassical energy levels. PostScript, PDF.
  Distributed: 30.09.10.
  
• Problem Set 3: Quasiclassical wave functions. PostScript, PDF.
  Distributed: 07.10.10
  
• Problem Set 4: Quasiclassical tunneling. PostScript, PDF.
  Distributed: 21.10.10
  
• Problem Set 5: Quasistationary states. Perturbation theory for scattering in 1D. PostScript, PDF.
  Distributed: 28.10.10
  
• Problem Set 6: Time-dependent perturbations and adiabatic approximation. PostScript, PDF.
  Distributed: 04.11.10
  
• Problem Set 7: Legendre polynomials and spherical Bessel functions. PostScript, PDF.
  Distributed: 18.11.10
  
• Problem Set 8: Scattering amplitude and cross-section. Born approximation. PostScript, PDF.
  Distributed: 02.12.10
  
• Problem Set 9: Scattering of slow particles. Scattering of fast particles. PostScript, PDF.
  Distributed: 09.12.10
  

• 21.09.10: Schroedinger equation. Quasiclassical wave function in one dimension.
  
• 23.09.10: Boundary conditions for quasiclassical wave functions.
  
• 30.09.10: Bohr-Sommerfeld quantization rule in one dimension.
  
• 07.10.10: Bohr-Sommerfeld quantization rule in a centrally symmetric potential.
  
• 21.10.10: Quasiclassical tunneling.
  
• 28.10.10: Reflection "above the barrier".
  
• 04.11.10: Quasistationary states.
  
• 11.11.10: Time-dependent perturbations and adiabatic approximation.
  
• 18.11.10: Landau-Zener transitions.
  General notions of elastic scattering. Scattering amplitudes and cross sections.
  
• 25.11.10: Free spherical waves and partial wave expansion. Scattering amplitudes in terms of phase shifts.
  
• 02.12.10: Unitarity condition for scattering. Optical theorem. Born approximation.
  
• 09.12.10: Born approximation (continued). Scattering of slow particles.
  
• 21.12.10 Resonant scattering.
  
• 23.12.10: Scattering of fast particles (eikonal approximation).