This unit of study constitutes a deep-dive into two foundational topics in modern physics: quantum mechanics and the electromagnetic properties of matter. In the Quantum Mechanics module, you will explore the seminal Stern-Gerlach experiments which first uncovered the quantization of electron spin angular momentum, before developing the mathematical framework to describe the quantized and inherently non-deterministic nature of quantum measurement. You will use Schrodinger’s equation to predict how quantum systems evolve in time, and learn how this relates to advanced quantum technologies like quantum computers. In Electromagnetism, you will derive how fields behave in matter from the interaction of a molecule’s electron clouds with electric and magnetic fields, and extend Maxwell’s equations to fields in matter, showing in the process how semiconductor devices work and how frogs can levitate in magnetic fields. The Quantum and Electromagnetism modules are enriched by a Computational Physics Lab, where you will learn to harness the power of computational methods to solve a broad range of physics problems. No coding experience is expected: we intend for this module to be an introduction to essential computational methods, one of the most practical and important skills a physicist can have.
Unit details and rules
Academic unit | Physics Academic Operations |
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Credit points | 6 |
Prerequisites
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(PHYS1003 or PHYS1004 or PHYS1902 or PHYS1904) and (PHYS1001 or PHYS1002 or PHYS1901 or PHYS1903 or PHYS2011 or PHYS2911 or PHYS2921) |
Corequisites
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None |
Prohibitions
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PHYS2912 or PHYS2922 |
Assumed knowledge
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(MATH1X21 or MATH1931 or MATH1X01 or MATH1906 or MATH1011) and (MATH1X02) and (MATH1X23 or MATH1933 or MATH1X03 or MATH1907 or MATH1013) and (MATH1X04 or MATH1X05) |
Available to study abroad and exchange students | Yes |
Teaching staff
Coordinator | Xanthe Croot, xanthe.croot@sydney.edu.au |
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Laboratory supervisor(s) | Pulin Gong, pulin.gong@sydney.edu.au |
Lecturer(s) | Andrew Doherty (Physics), andrew.doherty@sydney.edu.au |
Xanthe Croot, xanthe.croot@sydney.edu.au |