Modern Physics - Detailed Notes

1. Quantum Mechanics

• Wave-particle duality (NCERT Vol 1, Unit 1 - Chapter 1)
  • De Broglie wavelength
  • Double-slit experiment
  • Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle
  • Bohr’s quantization of angular momentum
• Schrodinger wave equation (NCERT Vol 2, Unit 4 - Chapter 11)
  • Time-dependent and time-independent forms
  • Physical interpretation of wave function
  • Applications to simple potential energy problems (e.g., particle in a box, harmonic oscillator)
• Quantum operators and their commutation relations (NCERT Vol 4, Unit 10 - Chapter 29)
  • Position and momentum operators
  • Uncertainty relations
  • Hermitian operators
  • Eigenvalues and eigenfunctions
  • Commutation relations
• Quantum states, eigenvalues, and probability distributions (NCERT Vol 4, Unit 10 - Chapter 29)
  • Born interpretation of wave function
  • Expectation values
  • Ehrenfest’s theorem
  • Superposition principle
• Tunneling, potential barriers, and quantum harmonic oscillators (NCERT Vol 4, Unit 11 - Chapter 30)
  • Tunneling effect and applications (e.g., scanning tunneling microscope, Josephson effect)
  • Potential barriers
  • Quantum harmonic oscillator model

2. Atomic Physics

• Atomic energy levels, quantum numbers, and electronic configurations of one and many-electron atoms (NCERT Vol 1, Unit 2 - Chapter 2 and NCERT Vol 2, Unit 4 - Chapter 12)
  • Bohr’s model of atom
  • Quantum numbers (n, l, ml, ms)
  • Pauli exclusion principle
  • Hund’s rule
  • Electronic configurations
• Term symbols and their significance in atomic spectroscopy (NCERT Vol 4, Unit 11 - Chapter 31)
  • Russell-Saunders coupling
  • Term symbols for different types of atoms
  • Selection rules
  • Atomic spectra
• X-Ray production, characteristics of X-Rays, and X-Ray spectra
  • X-Ray production (characteristic and Bremsstrahlung radiation)
  • Properties of X-Rays
  • X-Ray spectra
  • Applications of X-rays (medical imaging, crystallography, etc.)
• Laser and its application, spontaneous and stimulated emission of radiation (NCERT Vol 2, Unit 10 - Chapter 28)
  • Laser principle (population inversion, stimulated emission)
  • Types of lasers (solid-state, gas, semiconductor)
  • Characteristics of laser light (directionality, monochromaticity, coherence, intensity)
  • Applications of lasers (material processing, optical communications, medicine, etc.)

3. Nuclear Physics

• Nuclear structure, nuclear binding energy, and its relation with the stability of the nucleus (NCERT Vol 2, Unit 6 - Chapter 13)
• Constituents of nucleus (protons, neutrons)
• Nuclear binding energy
• Mass defect and binding energy per nucleon
• Explanation of nuclear stability based on binding energy
• Radioactive decay and its types (alpha, beta, and gamma) (NCERT Vol 2, Unit 6 - Chapter 13)
  • Types of radioactive decay
    • Alpha decay
    • Beta decay (beta minus and beta plus)
    • Gamma decay
  • Radioactive decay rate and decay constant
  • Applications of radioactive dating
• Nuclear reactions, nuclear fission, and nuclear fusion, Q-value (NCERT Vol 4, Unit 12 - Chapter 33)
  • Types of nuclear reactions
  • Nuclear fission and nuclear fusion
  • Q-value of a nuclear reaction
  • Applications of nuclear reactions (nuclear power, nuclear medicine, etc.)
• Nuclear forces, nuclear models (liquid drop model and shell model) (NCERT Vol 4, Unit 12 - Chapter 33)
  • Types of nuclear forces
    • Strong nuclear force
    • Weak nuclear force
  • Nuclear models
    • Liquid drop model
    • Shell model

4. Particle Physics

• Elementary particles, fundamental interactions (strong, weak, electromagnetic) (NCERT Vol 4, Unit 13 - Chapter 34)
  • Quarks and leptons
  • Fundamental interactions
    • Strong interaction
    • Weak interaction
    • Electromagnetic interaction
• Particle accelerators and detectors, discovery of subatomic particles (NCERT Vol 4, Unit 13 - Chapter 35)
  • Particle accelerators (cyclotron, synchrotron, LHC)
  • Particle detectors (Geiger-Muller counter, scintillation counter, cloud chamber, bubble chamber)
  • Discovery of subatomic particles (electron, proton, neutron, etc.)
• Quarks, leptons, baryons, and mesons (NCERT Vol 4, Unit 13 - Chapter 34)
  • Classification of subatomic particles
    • Quarks
      • Up, down, strange, charm, top, and bottom quarks
      • Flavors and colors
    • Leptons
      • Electron, muon, tau, and three types of neutrinos
    • Baryons
      • Protons and neutrons
      • Combinations of three quarks
    • Mesons
      • Combinations of quark and antiquark
• Conservation laws in particle physics (NCERT Vol 4, Unit 14 - Chapter 36)
  • Conservation of mass-energy
  • Conservation of momentum
  • Conservation of angular momentum
  • Conservation of charge
  • Conservation of lepton number
  • Conservation of baryon number
• Symmetry breaking and the Higgs mechanism (NCERT Vol 4, Unit 14 - Chapter 36)
  • Spontaneous symmetry breaking
  • The Higgs field and the Higgs boson

5. Electromagnetism

• Electrostatics and electric current (NCERT Vol 1, Unit 3 - Chapter 3 and NCERT Vol 1, Unit 4 - Chapter 4)
  • Electric charges and electric fields
  • Gauss’s law
  • Electric potential and potential difference
  • Capacitors
  • Current and resistance
• Gauss’ law, magnetic fields, and Biot-Savart law (NCERT Vol 2, Unit 7 - Chapter 15)
  • Gauss’s law for magnetism
  • Magnetic fields and magnetic dipoles
  • Biot-Savart law
• Ampere’s law and Faraday’s law of electromagnetic induction (NCERT Vol 2, Unit 7 - Chapter 16)
  • Ampere’s law
  • Faraday’s law
  • Lenz’s law
  • Inductors
• Maxwell’s equations and the electromagnetic spectrum (NCERT Vol 2, Unit 8 - Chapter 17)
  • Maxwell’s equations
  • Electromagnetic waves
  • Electromagnetic spectrum

6. Statistical Physics

• Maxwell–Boltzmann statistics and its applications (NCERT Vol 2, Unit 11 - Chapter 29)
  • Basic assumptions of Maxwell–Boltzmann statistics
  • Distribution of molecular speeds
  • Average kinetic energy and root mean square speed
• Bose–Einstein statistics and its applications (NCERT Vol 4, Unit 11 - Chapter 32)
  • Basic assumptions of Bose–Einstein statistics
  • Bose–Einstein condensation
  • Applications of Bose–Einstein condensation
• Fermi–Dirac statistics and its applications (NCERT Vol 4, Unit 12 - Chapter 33)
  • Basic assumptions of Fermi–Dirac statistics
  • Pauli exclusion principle
  • Applications of Fermi–Dirac statistics (e.g., the structure of matter)
• Thermodynamics of ideal gases, heat engines, and the Carnot cycle (NCERT Vol 2, Unit 9 - Chapter 20 and NCERT Vol 4, Unit 14 - Chapter 37)
• Specific heat of solids, Einstein model, and Debye model (NCERT Vol 4, Unit 14 - Chapter 37)