• Length:
    5 Weeks
  • Effort:
    12–13 hours per week
  • Price:

    FREE
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  • Institution
    MITx
  • Subject:
    Physics
  • Level:
    Intermediate
  • Language:
    English
  • Video Transcript:
    English
  • Course Type:
    Self-paced on your time

Prerequisites

About this course

Skip About this course

This physics course introduces the concept of tensor product states to discuss entanglement and Bell inequalities. You will learn about angular momentum and its representations. This is used to understand the spectrum of central potentials and to introduce hidden symmetries. Lastly, you will learn about the addition of angular momentum and an algebraic approach to the hydrogen atom spectrum.

This is the last of three courses offering a sophisticated view of quantum mechanics and its proper mathematical foundation.

To follow this course you should have taken Part 1: Wave Mechanics, and Part 2: Quantum Dynamics.

Completing the 3-part Quantum Mechanics series will give you the necessary foundation to pursue advanced study or research at the graduate level in areas related to quantum mechanics

The series will follow MIT’s on campus 8.05, the second semester of the three-course sequence on undergraduate quantum mechanics, and will be equally rigorous. 8.05 is a signature course in MIT's physics program and a keystone in the education of physics majors.

What you'll learn

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  • Entanglement and Bell inequality.
  • Representations of Angular momentum.
  • The Central Potential Problem.
  • Addition of Angular Momentum.
  • An algebraic approach to the hydrogen atom.

Syllabus

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Week 1:

  • Multiparticle states and tensor products
  • Entanglement and quantum teleportation

Week 2:

  • The Einstein, Podolsky, Rosen paradox and Bell inequalities 
  • Representations of angular momentum

Week 3:

  • Angular momentum and central potentials

Week 4:

  • Hidden symmetries and degeneracies
  • Addition of angular momentum

Week 5:

  • Algebraic solution of the hydrogen atom

Final Assessment
 

Meet your instructors

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Barton Zwiebach
Professor of Physics
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Jolyon Bloomfield
Lecturer in Physics
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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Learner testimonials

“I’ve thought long and hard to come up with a better MOOC than this one (I’ve completed 25 of these things over the past 2 years) and can’t do it. 8.05x is #1 and I suspect will stay that way for some time to come.”

“8.05x was the perfect opportunity for me to both gain knowledge and evaluate my understanding on a high quality international platform. It has really exceeded my expectations. Now, at the end of fifteen weeks, I feel more confident and hopefully I am more knowledgeable.”