Physique quantique, physique statistique et chimie physique

Course content

Fundamental concepts of quantum physics: Particles and forces. Wave-particle duality. Relativistic and non-relativistic wave equations. The Schrödinger equation in one and three dimensions. Postulates and interpretation (uncertainty relations, Schrödinger’s cat). Orbital angular momentum. The hydrogen atom. Systems of particles. Pauli exclusion principle. Spin. Atomic structure. Molecules and solids. Nuclei. Light-matter interaction, electromagnetic transitions and spectra.

Fundamental concepts of statistical physics and physical chemistry: Energy, entropy and temperature. Boltzmann and Maxwell distributions. Paramagnetism. Planck’s law. Ideal gases and their transformations. The equipartition theorem. Heat capacities of solids and gases. Principles of thermodynamics. Thermodynamic potentials. Interfacial equilibria. Viscosity, diffusion and Brownian motion. Fermi–Dirac and Bose–Einstein statistics (Bose–Einstein condensation).

Technological applications: lasers, diffraction gratings, polarisers, quantum computing, semiconductors, superconductors, superfluids, magnetism, tunneling microscope, nuclear energy production via fission and fusion (ethical aspects, impact on the energy transition and sustainability), information encoding, heat exchangers, engines, heat pumps, distillation, reverse osmosis, drug delivery, tissue engineering.

Objectives (and/or specific learning outcomes)

To understand the fundamental concepts of quantum physics, statistical physics and physical chemistry, and to be able to apply them to the modelling of simple physical systems. In quantum physics, to model one-dimensional systems, atoms, molecules and nuclei using the Schrödinger equation; in statistical physics, model various systems (solids, liquids and gases comprising photons, electrons, atoms, molecules, fermions and bosons) at any temperature, using the appropriate statistical distributions; in physical chemistry, analyse thermodynamic transformations, phase equilibria and the transport of momentum and matter, in particular viscosity, diffusion and Brownian motion.

Solve the models thus established mathematically (analytically, graphically, numerically) in the simplest cases.

Identify the origins of quantum physics, statistical physics and physical chemistry within the history of science.

Be familiar with the main current technological applications (lasers, spectroscopy, semiconductors, nuclear power stations, engines, heat exchangers, etc.), and reflect on their ethical implications and their impact on the energy transition.

Prerequisites and Corequisites

Required and corequired courses

Cours co-requis

Courses requiring this course

Teaching methods and learning activities

Lectures, written exercises, and the use of Python as a scientific calculator.

References, bibliography, and recommended reading

J.-L. Basdevant et J. Dalibard, Mécanique Quantique (Éditions de l'École Polytechnique, 2005)
J.-L. Basdevant and J. Dalibard, Quantum Mechanics (Springer, 2005)
D. Baye, M. Dufour et B. Fuks, Mécanique quantique - Une introduction générale illustrée par des exercices résolus (Ellipses 2017)
D. Baye, M. Dufour and B. Fuks, A Quantum Mechanics Primer with Solved Exercises: Theory and Solved Examples (Springer 2025)
M. Kumar, Quantum: Einstein, Bohr and the Great Debate About the Nature of Reality (Icon Books, 2009)
M. Kumar, Le grand roman de la physique quantique (Lattès, 2011)
F. S. Crawford Jr., Ondes, Berkeley: cours de physique, volume 3 (Armand Colin, 1972)
F. S. Crawford Jr., Waves, Berkeley Physics Course, volume 3 (McGraw-Hill, 1965)
E. H. Wichmann, Physique quantique, Berkeley: cours de physique, volume 4 (Armand Colin, 1974)
E. H. Wichmann, Quantum Physics, Berkeley Physics Course, volume 4 (McGraw-Hill, 1967)
F. Schwabl, Quantum Mechanics (Springer, 2009)
C. Cohen-Tannoudji, B. Diu et F. Laloë, Mécanique quantique I et II (Hermann, 1977)
B. H. Bransden and C. J. Joachain, Introduction to Quantum Mechanics (Longman, 1989)
F. Reif, Physique statistique, Berkeley: cours de physique, volume 5 (Armand Colin, 1972)
F. Reif, Statistical Physics, Berkeley Physics Course, volume 5 (McGraw-Hill, 1967)
B. Diu, C. Guthmann, D. Lederer et B. Roulet, Éléments de Physique Statistique (Hermann, 1997)
H. B. Callen, Thermodynamics and an Introduction to Thermostatistics (Wiley, 1985)
C. Kittel and H. Kroemer, Thermal Physics (W. H. Freeman, 1980)
P. Atkins, J. de Paula and J. Keeler, Atkins’ Physical Chemistry (Oxford University Press, 2022)
R. K. Pathria and P. D. Beale, Statistical Mechanics (Elsevier, 2021)

Course notes

Podcast
Syllabus
Université virtuelle

Contribution to the teaching profile

The key skills developed in this course are the mastery and application of the scientific body of knowledge relating to the description of the microscopic world (quantum physics) and the macroscopic world in terms of its microscopic constituents (statistical physics and physical chemistry). Building on this body of knowledge, students are guided to develop structured scientific reasoning to model schematic situations, taking into account orders of magnitude and identifying the dominant parameters, and then to solve the equations of the model thus established, analytically and/or numerically, with a view to comparing the results with experimental data.

This course also engages students in a reflective approach to the structure of science, as quantum physics is a young discipline, still incomplete in several respects. In particular, the course highlights the differences between experimentally verified facts, mathematically proven theorems, the postulates adopted to reconcile their predictions with experimental results, and the beliefs that may guide intuition in research but which require testing against experimental evidence in order to be validated.

Finally, as this course covers the physical fundamentals and orders of magnitude of technologies with significant ethical implications and those related to the energy transition (lasers, nuclear fusion and fission, etc.), it provides an opportunity for students to reflect on their own values and how to reconcile them with a technical career.

Other information

Contacts

jmspar@ulb.ac.be
Benoit.Haut@ulb.be

Campus

Solbosch

Evaluation

Method(s) of evaluation

written examination
Continuous assessment

written examination

Open question with short answer
Open question with developed answer
Closed question with multiple choices (MCQ)

Continuous assessment

Mark calculation method (including weighting of intermediary marks)

January written exam (multiple-choice questions on quantum physics): 1/7
Continuous assessment (exercises in statistical physics and physical chemistry): 2/7
Final written exam: 4/7

A mark strictly below 6/20 for continuous assessment is decisive and results in the same mark – strictly below 6/20 – for the course as a whole.

Language(s) of evaluation

french