This course provides a comprehensive development of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics at the level of wavefunctions and the Schrödinger equation, with an elementary introduction to Dirac notation; it covers the mathematical formalism, its physical interpretation, and applications to simple examples such as 1-D square-well potentials, the 1-D harmonic oscillator, and the central potential. The full mathematical framework is set out, including eigenvalue problems, compatible and incompatible observables, measurement and Heisenberg uncertainty, and the related Bell inequalities. The course aims to provide a thorough understanding of how abstract formalism connects to the results of laboratory experiments. It provides a firm grounding in general principles for students planning postgraduate study in physics, in particular for those with an interest in advanced quantum mechanics, relativistic quantum mechanics and field theory, or quantum optics and quantum information.
Experimental work supplements the theoretical physics concepts from the coursework.