Course Syllabus

Phys 450/550: Relativistic Quantum Mechanics

Koç University, Spring 2024

Instructor: Ali Mostafazadeh (Office: Sci.154; Office Hours: Monday and Wednesdays 17:20-18:20)

Textbooks: 

1) W. Rindler, Relativity (Oxford University Press, 2006)

2) S. Weinberg, The Quantum Theory of Fields, Vol. 1 (Cambridge University Press, 1995)

3) W. Greiner, Relativistic Quantum Mechanics (Springer, 2000)

4) F. Schwabl, Advanced Quantum Mechanics (Springer, 2004)

5) T. Ohlsson, Relativistic Quantum Physics (Cambridge University Press, 2011)

Topics to be covered: Galilean relativity, Einstein’s special theory of relativity, relativistic classical mechanics, Lorentz and Poincare transformations, Poincare group and relativistic quantum mechanics, spin-zero (scalar) particles and the Klein-Gordon equation, spin-half (Dirac) particles and the Dirac equation.site: TBA

Objective: This course aims at providing a basic introduction to special theory of relativity and relativistic quantum mechanics which are pre-requisites for the study of quantum field theories.

Evaluation method: Students’ progress will be evaluated according to their performance in a midterm exam 35% each), a term paper (15%), and a final exam (50%). If a student fails the course and takes the remedial exam, his/her grade in this exam will be substituted for his/her grade in the final exam and his/her letter grade will be determined accordingly.

Eligibility to take the final exam:  In order to become eligible to take the final exam, a student must not miss more than 8 of the lectures.

Attendance & bonus: Students who do not attend more than 8 of the lectures (for any reason) will not be eligible to take the final exam and will fail the course. If a student misses n lectures and n<8, 8-n bonus points will be added to his/her final exam grade.

Auditing Students: In order to get an AU, a student must attend at least 20 of the lectures.

Make-ups & Remedial Exams: If a student misses the midterm exam and has a valid excuse, his (her) grade in the final exam will be substituted for the grade in the missed midterm exam. If (s)he also misses the final exam, (s)he will be given zero in the midterm exam that (s)he has missed regardless of whether (s)he has a valid excuse or not for missing the final exam. If a student misses the final exam and has a valid excuse, (s)he will be given a make-up exam. Students who fail the course but have a chance of passing it by taking the remedial exam will be allowed to take this exam.

Suggested Method of Study: Students are advised to study the subjects covered in class immediately after the lectures. Reading the lecture notes and the book is necessary for grasping the subject, but it is by no means sufficient. Students must try to reproduce the derivations of the results covered in class on their own. They are expected to spend an average of five hours per week on studying the material covered in class in addition to the time spent on suggested homework problems and the term paper.