Teaching
by Prof. Donggyu Kim
Department of Physics, KAIST
by Prof. Donggyu Kim
Department of Physics, KAIST
Quantum mechanics prescribes how to describe the states of microscopic objects and their dynamics. Implementing such quantum objects in various applications, ranging from fundamental science to state-of-the-art technologies, has been extending our knowledge of the universe and shaping our future technologies. PH503 Graduate Quantum Mechanics I is designed to lay down the fundamentals of quantum mechanics. The intended learning outcomes (ILOs) are (i) to formulate the framework of quantum mechanics and (ii) be able to practice it in various applications. Learning materials are mostly based on various sections in Modern Quantum Mechanics by J.J. Sakurai, supplemented by Quantum Mechanics by Cohen-Tannoudji, Diu, and Laloë, and Introduction to Quantum Mechanics by Griffiths and Schroeter.
Technologies based on quantum mechanics arguably outperform their classical counterparts. The underlying resources behind such quantum primacy are the entanglements between quantum objects. By engineering the quantum entanglements, the complexity of information stored and processed in quantum-mechanical systems can grow exponentially with their system size unlike classical systems. This quantum information processing is governed by Hamiltonians, which consist of (i) local controls involving external electric and magnetic fields and (ii) non-local interactions set by the quantum system designs.
The most natural framework to study the Hamiltonian dynamics is perhaps atomic and optical physics. Atoms naturally host quantized spin levels in their electronic ground-state, which can be initialized and coherently manipulated by surprisingly laser light. The position and velocity of atoms can also be controlled by laser light, thus we can assemble and turn them into an engineered quantum system of which spin states can encode hard problems to be quantum-mechanically solved.
PH401 Atomic and Molecular Physics is designed to understand the details of how we engineer the internal (spins, orbitals) and external (position, velocity) degrees of freedom of the atoms. Intended learning outcomes (ILOs) of the course are to (i) understand the fundamentals of atoms and atom-photon interactions and (ii) be able to practice them in a way to accommodate their finite characteristics for various quantum technologies. Learning materials are mostly based on various sections in "Atoms and Molecules interacting with Light" by Metcalf and Straten, supplemented by "Quantum Mechanics" by Cohen-Tannoudji, Diu, and Laloë, and "Atom-Photon Interactions: Basic Process and Applications" by Cohen-Tannoudji, Dupont-Roc, and Grynberg.
The laser is a form of light that is highly engineered based on the arts of optics and quantum physics. Never-stop innovations to generate the laser light and their creative use have revolutionized science and technologies across a wide range of applications, including manufacturing, astronomy, high-resolution spectroscopy, biomedical imaging and treatments, and telecommunications. It is even more important for us today to be well-armed with the principles and practice of laser optics because (i) the laser is a definitive, central element of upcoming technologies such as non-traditional optical imaging, optical deep-neural networks, quantum sensing, and quantum computing, and more critically (ii) performance of which is often limited by how well we understand various aspects of lasers and how ingeniously we deploy them.
PH402 Laser Optics is designed to meet these demands: intended learning outcomes (ILOs) of the course are to (i) understand the fundamental physics of lasers and (ii) be able to practice laser optics in a way to accommodate its finite characteristics. Specifically, we will discuss the coherent integrations of free-space optics and atom-photon interactions from which the light very close to E(x,t) = exp[i(kx-wt)] is generated. Next, we will discuss optics and quantum physics that introduce unavoidable finiteness of the laser light. Finally, we will briefly cover various aspects of lasers and laser light that are critically involved in optical imaging and quantum technologies. Learning materials are mostly based on various sections in Fundamentals of Photonics 3rd edition by Saleh and Teich, supplemented by Principles of Lasers 5th edition by Svelto and Atom-Photon Interactions: Basic Process and Applications by Cohen-Tannoudji, Dupont-Roc, and Grynberg.