CH-chair picturePHYS597C:

Computational Physics II

Faculty Information

Lecturer: Jorge O. Sofo
Office Address: 210 Osmond Lab
Office Hours: Wednesday 11:00 to 12:00 or by appointement
Homepage: http://www.phys.psu.edu/~sofo

Course Information

Credits: 3
Location: 216 Osmond Lab.
Meeting Times: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:00 to 2:15

Homepage PHYS 597C Computational Physics II

This course has been approved for the Computational Science Graduate Minor

Course Description

The course will cover advanced topics in computational physics, including

  • Variational methods to solve the Schrödinger equation
  • Hartree-Fock for electrons in atoms and molecules
  • Density Functional Theory
  • Molecular Dynamics simulations
  • The Monte Carlo method applied to spin and atomic systems
  • Quantum Monte Carlo methods

We will dedicate more time to those subjects that are related to the research areas of the enrolled students.

Lectures

The lecture plan provides information on our day by day activities.

Required Text

“Computational Physics” 2nd. Edition by Jos M. Thijssen, Cambridge University Press, 2007.

Course Requirements

It is expected that the students will have knowledge of Quantum Mechanics at the level of PHYS561 and basic knowledge of Solid State Theory. Grading Policy Homework: There will be 5 major homework assignments, however, every class will have suggested homework problems. Final Project: A final project will be required at the end of the course. Grades: Each homework counts for 15% of the final grade with the five homeworks adding up to 75%. The Final Project counts as 25% of the grade.

Academic Integrity Policy

All Penn State policies regarding ethics and honorable behavior apply to this course (see http://www.psu.edu/ufs/policies/). All University policies regarding academic integrity apply to this course. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarizing, fabricating of information or citations, facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others, having unauthorized possession of examinations, submitting work of another person or work previously used without informing the instructor, or tampering with the academic work of other students. All exam answers must be your own, and you must not provide any assistance to other students during exams. Any instances of academic dishonesty WILL be pursued under the University and Eberly College of Science regulations concerning academic integrity.