2026 (Current Year) Faculty Courses School of Science Undergraduate major in Physics
Introduction to Quantum Mechanics（Lecture)
- Academic unit or major
- Undergraduate major in Physics
- Instructor(s)
- Shunsaku Horiuchi
- Class Format
- Lecture
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - Class
- -
- Course Code
- PHY.Q207
- Number of credits
- 200
- Course offered
- 2026
- Offered quarter
- 3Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 5, 2026
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
This course focuses on the fundamental of quantum mechanics widely applicable to the field of science and engineering.
The aim of the course is to learn the concepts of the quantum mechanics such as the wave function and operators and to understand interesting phenomena inherent in the quantum mechanics such as the discretization of physical quantities and uncertainly in the measurements.
Course description and aims
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
1) explain the fundamental concepts of quantum mechanics, such as wave-particle duality and stochastic interpretation
2) solve the Schroedinger equation for some simple systems
3) explain quantum phenomena such as tunnel effects, discretization of physical quantities, and the uncertainty principle.
Keywords
wave-particle duality, wave function, quantum state, Schroedinger equation
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
Lectures on the blackboard
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | wave-particle duality, photoelectric effect, atom model, Planck constant |
Understand the fundamentals of quantum mechanics. |
| Class 2 | wave function and stochastic interpretation, double slit experiment |
Understand the wave function and its interpretation |
| Class 3 | Schoedinger equation |
Derive the Schoedinger equation |
| Class 4 | operator, expectation value, eigenfunction |
Understand the operator, expectation values, and eigenfunctions. |
| Class 5 | measurement and uncertainty in quantum mechanics |
Understand the uncertainty principle. |
| Class 6 | wave packet, phase velocity, group velocity |
Understand the properties of wave packet. |
| Class 7 | quantum state, steady state, bracket |
Understand quantum states and steady states, and use the bracket representation |
| Class 8 | boundary condition and properties of wave function, confined state |
Understand the boundary condition and confined states |
| Class 9 | potential well, particle in a box, zero-point energy |
Solve the Schroedinger equation for a free particle in the quantum well |
| Class 10 | motion of wave packet, motion of classical particles |
Understand the motion of wave packet, motion of classical particles |
| Class 11 | tunnel effect and its related phenomenon, beta-decay |
Understand the tunnel effect |
| Class 12 | Time dependence |
Understand treatments of time evolution |
| Class 13 | harmonic oscillator |
Solve the harmonic ocsillator |
| Class 14 | ladder operators, light and photon |
Understand the use of ladder operators |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
None required
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Textbooks specified by the instructor.
Evaluation methods and criteria
Evaluation based on final exam
Related courses
- PHY.Q206 ： Analytical Mechanics
- PHY.Q217 ： Introduction to Quantum Mechanics(Exercise)
Prerequisites
No prerequisites are necessary.