Macquarie University

Advanced Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Optics - PHYS304

Quantum mechanics is perhaps the most fundamental of all theories of modern physics. While its consequences are most readily seen in the microscopic world of elementary particles, atoms and molecules; quantum mechanics provides a set of rules that apply to all physical phenomena: the universe as a whole is governed by its laws. This unit looks at quantum mechanics in greater depth than PHYS303 and from a more foundational perspective. After introducing the postulates of quantum theory, we consider the basic mathematical structures including Hilbert Space, the Dirac notation, linear operators, spectral theory and measurements. Tools for the description of multiple systems and statistical combinations of systems are introduced allowing the exploration of entanglement - arguably the most dramatic departure from classical physics. In the second half of the unit Quantum Optics is introduced, which has widespread applications and has played a central role in testing quantum mechanics and exploring its meaning. In this section we cover quantization of the optical field, introduce coherent states and describe the physics behind the quantum interaction of light and atoms.