Graduate Quantum Mechanics GR6037

Professor Norman Christ

This site provides information about this course, offered in the Fall of 2026. (Last year's website for this course: GR6037_f25 and for last year's spring semester: GR6038_s26)

• Professor Christ:
  • Email: mailto:[email protected]
  • Office:  801 Pupin
  • Telephone:  212 854 3307
  • Office hours: Tuesdays, 1:30-3:00, room 801 Pupin
• Ceran Hu (Teaching Assistant):
• Email: [email protected]
• Office: 1114 Pupin
• Boris Goikhman (Teaching Assistant)
  • Email '[email protected]'
• Text books:
• Required: Lectures on Quantum Mechanics (Lecture Notes & Supplements in Physics), Gordon Baym, Perseus Books, ISBN: 978-0805306675
• Required: Quantum Mechanics: Fundamentals, Gottfried and Yan, second edition, ISBN: 978-0387955766
• Additional text books.
• List of the books on reserve in the library: none at present
• Syllabus, schedule and suggested reading: schedule
• Some computational problems will be assigned that can be solved using Python. This link connects to a page providing:
  • Instructions to download Anaconda distribution
  • Supporting material for working problems that appear in homework assignments.
• Notes on topics presented in class:
• Assignments A PDF copy of your solutions should be uploaded to Courseworks by the end of the day in which the problem set is due.
• Class time and place: 8:40-9:55, Monday and Wednesday, 329 Pupin.
• Problem sessions: Fridays at 1:00 pm in room 424 Pupin
• Notes on topics presented in class:
  • Huygen's principle
• Midterm exam
  • Held during class on Wedensday, October 21.
  • Covers all material up to and including the simple harmonic oscillator, including coherent states
  • Closed book without electronic aids but a 8.5" x 11" double-sided formula sheet is permitted.
  • A practice midterm exam will be posted instead of a problem set due on 10/18/26
  • There will be a review session beginning at 6:00 pm on Tues. 10/20/2026
    • For questions and discussion of the practice midterm
    • Held in room TBD
• Homework:
  • Problem sets will be distributed on this website on or before Thursday and will consist of  3-4 problems
  • They will be due the next following Sunday (ten days later) on or before 11:59 pm
  • Completed problem sets should be uploaded to our Courseworks site (https://courseworks2.columbia.edu/courses/250128) using the "assignments" choice in the column on the left of the home page.. They should be handwritten and scanned (pdf preferred).
  • Problem solutions uploaded up to one week late will have their scores reduced 15% and those more than one week late will have a 25% penalty. These penalties can be avoided if an appropriate request for an extension is emailed to Prof. Christ (mailto:[email protected]) in advance.
• Grades: Grades will be determined from a weighted average of the homework (20%), the midterm exam (30%) and the final exam (50%).
• Academic integrity

This site last modified Oct. 7, 2026.