Physics 230: Modern Physics

Teacher: Darío Mitnik

Index of Lectures

Physics in the XIX century

History of the world in 2 minutes.
History of the science in 2 minutes.
``Two small clouds''.
The Laws: Newton, Maxwell and Thermodynamics.

further reading:

  • The Physicists' world in 1895 (from Segre's book).

    Thermodynamics

    Many-particle systems: work and heat.
    The first law of thermodynamics.
    Entropy and the second law of thermodynamics.
    The equation of state of an ideal gas.

    further reading:

  • Order! Order! (from Asimov's book).
  • Brief Review of the Kinetic Theory of Gases, by Michael Fowler.

    The Origin of Quantum Physics

    The Blackbody Radiation.
    The Photoelectric Effect.
    The Compton effect: photon is a particle.

    further reading:

  • Sixty Years of Quantum Physics, by Edward Condon.

    Special Relativity

    Symmetries and invariances.
    The Michelson-Morley experiment.
    The Lorentz transformations.
    Relativistic dynamics.

    further reading:

  • Mr Tompkins in Paperback, by George Gamow.

    Resurection of the Atom

    History of the Atom in 2 minutes.
    The Zeeman effect (in 1896).
    Rutherford's Experiment.
    Atomic Spectra.
    The Bohr Atom.
    The Stern-Gerlach experiment: the quantization of space.

    Particles and Waves

    From the Bohr Atom to De Broglie's Waves.
    The Davisson and Germer experiment: electron is a wave.
    Quantum mechanics (Matrizenmechanik).
    The Uncertainty Principle.

    further reading:

  • The Certainty of Uncertainty (from Asimov's book).

    Schrodinger's Equation

    Wave Equations for Photons and Electrons.
    Solving the Schrodinger's equation.

    One Electron Atoms

    The Hydrogen Atom.
    The spectrum of hydrogen.
    Uhlenbeck and Goudsmit experiment: the spin.
    The Zeeman effect (in 1926).

    further reading:

  • Atomic Physics with Supercomputers, by Darío Mitnik.

    Many Electron Atoms

    The Helium Atom.
    Pauli's exclusion principle.
    The periodic table.

    Molecules

    Molecular orbitals of diatomic molecules.
    Molecular spectra.

    Solids

    Band theory of solids.
    Conductors, insulators, and semiconductors.

    Nuclear Physics

    Properties of the nucleus.
    The ground state of the deuteron.
    Radioactive decay.
    Nuclear reactions.
    The origin of the elements.

    further reading:

  • The law of radioactive decay (applet), by Walter Fendt.

    Quantum Statistics

    Fermi-Dirac distribution law.
    Bose-Einstein distribution law.

    Physics Today

    Astrophysics and Cosmology.
    Elementary particles.
    Chaos.
    Physics at low temperatures: Superconductivity, Superfluidity, and Condensates.
    Etcetera.

    further reading:

  • Is Space Finite?, by Jean-Pierre Luminet, Glenn D. Starkman and Jeffrey R. Weeks.
  • A new theory of the relationship of mind and matter, by David Bohm.
  • What is Chaos? An Online Introduction for Everyonel, by Matthew A. Trump.

    Bibliography

    Modern Physics, 2nd edition, by Kenneth Krane (New York: Wiley, 1996).

    Physics, by Marcelo Alonso and Edward Finn (New York: Addison-Wesley, 1996).

    Quantum Theory and its Applications, by B. Cagnac and J. C. Pebay-Peyroula (New York: Wiley, 1975).

    Six not-so-easy Pieces, by Richard Feynman (New York: Addison-Wesley, 1997).,

    From X-rays to Quarks, by Emilio Segre (San Francisco: Freeman, 1980).

    Asimov on Physics, by Isaac Asimov (New York: Doubleday, 1976).