By the end of the module the student should be able to: Quantum Mechanics: - Appreciate the limitations of classical mechanics and the need for a theory at the microscopic level;
- Understand the implications of the wave-like behaviour of matter and electromagnetic radiation;
- Understand various atomic models and the experimental evidence provided by optical and X-ray spectra, and methods for their production and study;
- Apply the wave-like behaviour of matter to electrons and the consequences for bound states.
Optics and Waves: - Describe the basic concepts of wave motion and describe both travelling and standing waves;
- Describe the interference and diffraction of waves and the importance of spatial and temporal coherence;
- Use phasors in order to calculate interference patterns produced by sets of regular very narrow slits and also the diffraction pattern produced by a slit of finite width;
- Describe the laws of reflection and refraction and apply them to mirrors and lenses;
- Describe how modern light sources and detectors operate;
- Link the concepts developed in the module and use them to solve a wide range of problems.
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