5.61 | Fall 2017 | Undergraduate

Physical Chemistry

Calendar

LEC # TOPICS KEY DATES
1 Historical Background, Photoelectric Effect  
2 Wave Nature of the Electron and the Internal Structure of an Atom  
3 Two-Slit Experiment, Quantum Weirdness  
4 Classical Wave Equation and Separation of Variables  
5 Quantum Mechanics: Free Particle and Particle in 1D box Problem Set 1 due
6 3-D Box and QM Separation of Variables  
7 Classical Mechanical Harmonic Oscillator  
8 Quantum Mechanical Harmonic Oscillator Problem Set 2 due
9 The Harmonic Oscillator: Creation and Annihilation Operators  
10 The Time-Dependent Schrödinger Equation  
11 Wavepacket Dynamics for Harmonic Oscillator and PIB Problem Set 3 due
12 Catch Up and Review, Postulates  
  Exam #1  
13 From Hij Integrals to H Matrices I  
14 From Hij Integrals to H Matrices II Problem Set 4 due
15 Non-Degenerate Perturbation Theory I  
16 Non-Degenerate Perturbation Theory II: HO using a,a  
17 Rigid Rotor I. Orbital Angular Momentum Problem Set 5 due
18 Rigid Rotor II. Derivation by Commutation Rules  
19 Spectroscopy: Probing Molecules with Light  
  Exam #2  
20 Hydrogen Atom I  
21 Hydrogen Atom II. Rydberg States  
22 Helium Atom Problem Set 6 due
23 Many-Electron Atoms  
24 Molecular Orbital Theory I. Variational Principle and Matrix Mechanics  
25 Molecular Orbital Theory II. H2+, A2, AB Diatomics Problem Set 7 due
26 Qualitative MO Theory: Hückel  
27 Non-Degenerate Perturbation Theory III  
28 Modern Electronic Structure Theory: Basis Sets Problem Set 8 due
29 Modern Electronic Structure Theory: Electronic Correlation  
30 Time-Dependent Perturbation Theory I. H is Time-Independent, Zewail Wavepacket  
  Exam #3  
31 Time-Dependent Perturbation Theory II. H is Time-Dependent: Two-Level Problem  
32 Intermolecular Interactions by Non-Degenerate Perturbation Theory  
33 Electronic Spectroscopy: Franck-Condon  
34 Electronic Spectroscopy and Photochemistry Problem Set 9 due
35 δ-Functions, Eigenfunctions of X, Discrete Variable Representation  
36 Time Dependence of Two-Level Systems: Density Matrix, Rotating Wave Approximation  
  Final Exam  

Course Info

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Fall 2017
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