Physics 8.421 Spring 2012

Atomic and optical Physics

		Room	Tel.	e-mail
Lecturers:	Prof. Wolfgang Ketterle	26-243	253-6815	ketterle@mit.edu
Assistants:	Wenlan Chen	26-223	452-4374	cwlaser@MIT.EDU
	Wujie Huang	26-259	253-5926	wjhuang@MIT.EDU
	Mark Ku	26-267		mku@MIT.EDU
	Qiyu Liang	26-335		q_liang@MIT.EDU
	Hao Zhang	26-217		htzhang@mit.edu
Secretary:	Joanna Keseberg	26-237	253-6830	j_k@mit.edu

Lectures: Mondays, Wednesdays (and some Fridays: 3/9, 4/13, 4/27, and on Tue 2/21)

11:00-12:30, Room 4-370

First day of classes: Wed, 2/8

Office hours:

Wolfgang Ketterle: Thu 3-4 or by appointment (just send an e-mail ….)

TAs: see problem sets

Term papers due: Wed, 5/16/2012 (last day of class). Please email papers to WK

Midterm exam: in class (11:00 – 12:30) on Wed, April 18, 2012.

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

Previous midterm exams 2008 2010

Web Site for 2010 Web Site for 8.422

Atomic Physics Wiki with Typed Lecture Notes

Class Write-Ups:

Resonance (Feb. 8, 13, 15, 22)

Atoms (Feb 22, 27, 29, March 5, 7)

Slides on Hydrogen Spectroscopy

Atoms in external fields (March 7, 9, 12) Clicker questions on atomic structure

Atom-light interactions (March 19, 21, April 2, 4, 9, 11) Saturation (4/11)

Line broadening (April 11, 13, 23, 25, 27)

Two-photon excitation (April 27)

Coherence (April 30, May 3, May 9, 14) Dicke 1954 paper

NEW Midterm quiz with solutions

Homework

Assignment 1 due Wed 2/22	Solutions 1
Assignment 2 due Wed 2/29	Solutions 2
Assignment 3 due Mon 3/12	Solutions 3
Assignment 4 due Mon 3/19	Solutions 4
Assignment 5 due Mon 3/26	Solutions 5 more detailed solution
Assignment 6 due Mon 4/9	Solutions 6
Assignment 7 due Wed 4/18	Solutions 7
Assignment 8 due Wed 4/25	Solutions 8
Assignment 9 due Wed 5/2	Solutions 9
Assignment 10 due Wed 5/9	Solutions 10

MIT Stellar grade management

Course info and calendar Recommended books Course requirements