8.421 Spring 2016

Physics 8.421 Spring 2016

Atomic and optical Physics

		Room	Tel.	e-mail
Lecturers:	Prof. Wolfgang Ketterle	26-243	253-6815	ketterle@mit.edu
Online:	Prof. Isaac Chuang	26-251	253-1692	ichuang@mit.edu
Assistants:	Ivana Dimitrova	26-269		idimitro@MIT.EDU
	Matthew Nichols	26-267		nicholsm@MIT.EDU
	Boris Shteynas	26-259		shteynas@MIT.EDU
	William Cody Burton	26-269		wburton@mit.edu
	Melih Okan	26-267		mokan@MIT.EDU
Secretary:	Joanna Keseberg	26-237	253-6830	j_k@mit.edu

Lectures: most Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays 1:00-2:30pm

See calendar for schedule: Course info and calendar

First day of classes: Wed, 2/3

NOTE (5/6/16): Term paper is due on THURSDAY 5/12. Please upload on the Stellar site.

Room All classes in Room 4-163, except for 2/12, 2/19, 3/18 when we meet in 4-231

Paper homework

Module 2 AC Stark effect due on Fri, 3/11

Module 3 Spont. emission due on Fri, 4/1

Module 4: Ramsey spectroscopy and echoes, due on Wed 4/27 ..

Previous midterm exams

2010 2012 2014

Feedback questionnaire responses

Midterm quiz with solutions

Results midterm

Office hours:

Wolfgang Ketterle: Wed 2:30-3:30 or by appointment (just send an e-mail ….)

TAs: TBA

Residential MITx site for 8.421 with lecture videos and online problems

https://lms.mitx.mit.edu/courses/MITx/8.421/2016_Spring/about

Assignments for Problems

The due dates on this page are the valid ones. If the MITx page or other pages show different due dates, ignore those.

Some problem sets have both online and paper components. Please be sure to check due dates for each component.

All online assignments have to be finished for

Module One: By Wed 2/24

Module Two: By Wed 3/16

Module Three: By Mon 4/4

Module Four: By Mon 4/25

Module Five: By Mon 5/9

Assignements for Video Lectures :

The ten overview lectures provide the context, motivation and summary for each block (half a module). You should the watch the video lectures before the disussion session where I assume that you are familiar with the material of the lectures.

Overview 1a (2/5): Resonance and classical spin, watch M1.1 until 2/12

Overview 1b (2/16): Quantum spin and density matrix

Term papers due: Thu, 5/12/2016 (last day of classes at MIT). Please submit online via Stellar.

Instructions for length, format and topics: Course requirements

Midterm exam: in class (1:00-2:30pm) 4/13

(closed book ---- all necessary formulae will be provided. Exam will test understanding, rather than memorization).

Web Site for 2014 Web Site for 8.422

Atomic Physics Wiki with Typed Lecture Notes

Old Class Write-Ups (from 2014) and papers for further reading

Resonance (Feb. 5, 10, 14, 18, 19)

Atoms (Feb. 19, 26, 28, March 3, 5)

Dan Kleppner, Phys. Today article on hydrogen pdf