Physics 150 - Schrödinger's Cat: Quantum Reality

Syllabus - Spring 2021

Classes:

Mon/Wed/Fri: 2:00 - 2:50 pm
Small Hall, room 122 (after Feb. 9) and via Zoom: cwm.zoom.us/my/davidarmstrong (before Feb. 9).

Grading Scheme:

Final Paper: 35%               
Prospectus Paper: 15%               
Refereeing: 5%
One-page Reaction Papers (several): 5%
Class Participation & Discussion: 20%
Homework Assignments: 20%

Text and Readings:

The primary texts will be
  1. ``The Strange World of Quantum Mechanics'' by Daniel F. Styer (Cambridge University Press, 2000, ISBN 0 521 66780 1).
    The text has a useful associated WWW site - check it out!
  2. ``Quantum Physics: Illusion or Reality?" by Alastair Rae (Cambridge University Press; 2 edition, ISBN-13: 978-9814360890)

In addition, we will include a number of other readings from the technical and semi-technical literature; a preliminary listing (subject to change) can be found here. The readings will be posted on Blackboard, and announced in class.

Homework:

There will be approximately 5 homework assignments, roughly one per week during the first half of the course, based on readings from Styer's text. They will be posted on Blackboard.

Reaction Papers:

There will be approximately 5 short (typically two page) papers assigned during the first half of the course. They will be based on selected readings from the two texts or on assigned supplementary reading. They will be graded; if your grade on a paper is less than a B+, you will be asked to revise the paper based on my comments and corrections, and resubmit for a possibly improved grade.

Final Paper:

The major project for the course will be to write a "review paper", focused on one of the possible interpretations of quantum reality that have been discussed in the physics literature. The paper will follow the conventions of scientific writing. Each paper will be written by a pair of students (the majority of modern scientific papers are written collaboratively). A prospectus (approximately 1500 words) for each review paper will be due three weeks before the end of the semester, which will include an initial bibiliography. The prospectus papers will be peer-reviewed by other class members, and editoral comments provided by the instructor; each of you will be required to "peer review" two prospectus papers. You will be graded on the quality of your peer reviews (a grading rubic will be provided).

Armed with the peer reviews and editorial critique of your papers, you and your partner will then complete the review paper (approximately 4000 words), which will be due on May 13 (the nominal final exam date for the course). While the researching and crafting of the review paper will be collaborative, the paper should be divided into logically distinct subsections, with one or the other co-author assigned primary responsibility for writing each of the sections (these assignments need to be provided to the me).

There will be class periods dedicated during the semester to searching and evaluating the scientific literature, to scientific/scholarly writing, to appropriate citation style, and to peer-reviewing.

Course Content

Quantum mechanics is the basis for almost all of modern physics, and it is accepted essentially without question by scientists. Certain aspects of quantum mechanics, lying both in the axioms at its foundations, and in the behavior that it predicts, are quite counter-intuitive. Thus, the practicing physicist learns to abandon some of his or her intuitive assumptions about the way nature "must" behave.

The need to abandon these assumptions has profound philosophical implications. Questions arise such as: whether or not determinism can be salvaged, what is the role of the observer (and human consciousness) in a measurement, and even if strict causality (i.e. cause always preceding effect) is obeyed in nature. The "received wisdom" for a conceptual framework in which to place quantum physics is the so-called "Copenhagen Interpretation". In this interpretation, Schrödinger's famous cat can be simultaneously alive and dead, until it is observed. It is not clear that this is a philosophically acceptable interpretation, and it is certainly far from clear that it is the only interpretation that is both logically consistent and not in contradiction with the ultimate arbiter, experiment. A wealth of work has been done by both philosophers and physicists on the interpretation problem, and several alternative interpretations have been proposed.

The course will closely examine two experiments, the double-slit electron experiment, and the EPR correlation experiment, as a focus for our introduction to quantum physics. A careful study of both of these systems will lead us to all the challenging questions of the interpretation of quantum mechanics, and the nature of reality. The course will use two experiments, the double-slit electron experiment, and the EPR correlation experiment(s), as the focus of our introduction to quantum physics. A careful study of both of these systems will lead us to all the challenging questions of the interpretation of quantum mechanics, and the nature of reality.

Supplemental reading will be done using various articles in the technical and semi-technical literature, i.e. from sources such as Physics Today, The American Journal of Physics, and The Physics Teacher. We will read and critically analyze a number of popular science treatments of the subject, and delve into several of the alternatives to the Copenhagen interpretation.

Learning Objectives

Important Dates

COLL 150

PHYS 150 satisfies William & Mary's COLL 150 requirement as a component of the general education ("COLL") curriculum. Coll 150 courses delve into a focused subject, giving students an opportunity for in-depth analysis, discussion and interpretation. They are intended to be writing-intensive, and will serve to develop your skills in academic writing.

Accesibility

William & Mary accommodates students with disabilities in accordance with federal laws and university policy. Any student who feels they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a learning, psychiatric, physical, or chronic health diagnosis should contact Student Accessibility Services staff at 757-221-2512 or at sas@wm.edu to determine if accommodations are warranted and to obtain an official letter of accommodation. For more information, please see www.wm.edu/sas.

Honor Code

William & Mary has had an Honor Code since at least 1779. Academic integrity is at the heart of the university, and we all are responsible for upholding the ideals of honor and integrity. The student-led honor system is responsible for resolving any suspected violations of the Honor Code, and I will report all suspected instances of academic dishonesty to the honor system. The Student Handbook includes your responsibilities as a student. Your full participation and observance of the Honor Code is expected.

COVID-19

We will do the utmost to help keep each other healthy. Face masks and social distancing will be required for in-person classes, following the Healthy Together Committment of W&M's Path Forward. Please only sit in marked seats in class. Office hours will generally be held via Zoom videoconference.

http://physics.wm.edu/~armd/P150.html
Dept. of Physics
William and Mary
armd@jlab.org
last updated: Mar 29 2021