Instructor: Prof. Seung-Sup Lee (이승섭), Department of Physics and Astronomy, SNU.
TA: Mr. Jeonghyeok Cha (차정혁), Department of Physics and Astronomy, SNU.
Class schedule and location: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:00–12:15; Rm. 106, Bldg. 56.
Exam schedule and location: all 11:00–12:15, Rm. 106, Bldg. 56.
First midterm exam: Oct. 6 (Tu)
Second midterm exam: Nov. 5 (Th)
Final exam: Dec. 10 (Th)
Course outline: Please check the course outline (updated on Jul. 21, 2026) for the details of the course. Please check the course outline regularly, since it will be updated from time to time; we will also announce critical changes via eTL.
Textbooks:
(Required) Jun John Sakurai and Jim Napolitano, Modern Quantum Mechanics (3rd ed., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2021) (ISBN: 978-1-108-47322-4): For the first half of the semester, we will cover topics from this book, hereafter referred to as “S&N”. Unless otherwise specified, all section, equation, figure, and problem numbers refer to S&N.
(Optional, but recommended) Henrik Bruus and Karsten Flensberg, Many-Body Quantum Theory in Condensed Matter Physics: An Introduction (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2004) (ISBN: 978-0-19-856633-5): Many lectures in the second half of the semester are based on this textbook. Although the lectures will be self-contained, interested students may consult this comprehensive text for further details. We recommend consulting the corrected 2016 version, which can be identified by information on its front page rather than its cover.
Student Q&A forum: In this KakaoTalk chat (link), students can ask questions, answer them, and discuss any topic. You can join anonymously, but we recommend using your real name (a Korean name if you have one, or in the Roman alphabet if you don't). Feel free to ask a question in Korean!
Below are the links to lecture notes and exercises. A lecture note is numbered as Lxx.y (e.g., L02.1), where xx indexes a class within the semester and y indexes a topic within the class. An exercise set is similarly numbered as Exx, and an exercise within a set as Exx.y.
Exercises are intended for self-study; they will not be submitted or graded. Each exam will include modified versions of selected exercise problems and may also include new problems that go beyond the exercises.
Please report any mistakes or typos you find. Such reports will also count towards the evaluation!
Video only; no on-site class due to SNU Foundation Day
[L14.1] Basics of quantum many-body physics: Intro (lecture notes) (video)
[L14.2] Many particles in first quantization (lecture notes) (video)
[E14] (exercise set)
[L13.1] Partial-wave expansion and phase shifts (lecture notes)
[L13.2] Resonance scattering (lecture notes)
[E13] (exercise set)
[L12.1] Born approximation (lecture notes) (video)
1. Born approximation
2. Example: Yukawa potential
[L12.2] Properties of spherical harmonics (lecture notes) (video)
1. Spherical harmonics as rotation matrices
2. Addition theorem
3. Spherical wave expansion
[L12.3] Spherical waves (lecture notes) (video)
1. Representation in momentum space
2. Representation in position space
[E12] (exercise set)
Q&A
[L09.1] Scattering amplitude (lecture notes) (video)
[L09.2] Optical theorem (lecture notes) (video)
[E09] (exercise set)
Video only; no on-site class due to the Chuseok holiday
[L08.1] T matrix and S matrix (lecture notes; updated on Sep. 30) (video; note the description)
1. Derivation using a Green's function
2. Scattering from the future to the past
[E08] (exercise set)
[L07.1] Geometric phase (lecture notes) (video)
1. Berry connection and curvature
2. Correspondence to the Aharonov–Bohm effect
3. Example: Spin-1/2 in a B field
[E07] (exercise set)
[L06.1] Photoelectric effect (lecture notes) (video)
[L06.2] Sudden approximation (lecture notes) (video)
[L06.3] Adiabatic approximation (lecture notes) (video)
1. Adiabatic theorem
2. Problem with the traditional adiabatic condition
[E06] (exercise set)
Q&A
[L04.1] Energy shift and decay width (lecture notes; revised on Sep. 17) (video; note the description)
1. "Slow-turn-on" method
2. Energy shift and decay width
[L04.2] Absorption and emission in a classical radiation field (lecture notes) (video)
1. Absorption and emission rates
2. Electric dipole approximation
[E04] (exercise set)
[L03.1] Interaction picture (lecture notes) (video)
1. Recap: Schrödinger vs. Heisenberg picture
2. Interaction picture
3. Example: Rabi oscillations in a spin 1/2
[L03.2] Time-dependent perturbation theory (lecture notes) (video)
1. Transition amplitudes from the Dyson series
2. Constant perturbation: Fermi's golden rule
3. Harmonic perturbation: Stimulated emission and absorption
[E03] (exercise set)
[L02.1] Zeeman effect (lecture notes) (video)
[L02.2] Variational methods (lecture notes; typo fixed on Sep. 3) (video)
[E02] (exercise set)
[L01.1] Fine structure in hydrogen-like atoms (lecture notes; revised on Sep. 3) (video; note the description)
1. Relativistic correction to the kinetic energy
2. Spin-orbit coupling
3. Darwin term
[E01] (exercise set)