PHY2720 — Modern Physics
Students will study three major themes: the development of the theory of relativity; the old quantum theory of Planck, Einstein, Bohr, and Sommerfeld; and the new quantum physics of Schroedinger, Heisenberg, Dirac, and Pauli. Students' interest in relativity theory is motivated by the noncovariance problems discovered in the electromagnetic theory of Maxwell and Lorentz and by the null result of the Michelson-Morley experiment. The early quantum theory is developed from Planck's analysis of the problem of blackbody radiation and from Einstein's study of the photoelectric effect. This is followed by a careful study of the Schroedinger theory of quantum mechanics and solutions to the Schroedinger equation. In the laboratory students will repeat a number of historical experiments including the determination of the speed of light, the charge and charge to mass ratio of the electron, the Planck constant, and the Rydberg constant. Students may also perform the Franck-Hertz experiment. The last part of the semester in the modern lab is devoted to a special, student-designed project. Prerequisite: PHY 2710; Corequisite: MAT 2680. Campus and term: J spring