Introduction to quantum dynamics in atoms, molecules and solids
Abstract:
The binding of an Oxygen atom in a red blood-cell, the ultrafast switching of magnetic domains in your hard disk or the Catalytic reaction of nitrogen to ammonia in the vicinity of iron oxides all require the understanding of the electronic dynamics on the quantum scale. With the recent advance of experimental methods aimed to visualize these dynamical processes there is a need for theory that can describe quantum dynamics in atoms molecules and solids governing many orders of magnitude in time scales, from atto seconds to days. Although a full quantitative prediction of the three aforementioned processes is still out of reach using a combination of different theories and approximations we can get quite a good description in many cases.
In these lectures we will introduce some concepts of electron dynamics. Exemplified by several model calculations (and take home examples) we will show how the dynamics on the quantum scale can be described in solid state materials. We will draw parallels between the classical and quantum regime when possible. Our main starting point will be response theory showing the relation between excitation spectra and dynamics. We will introduce concepts like (natural) line-width of an excitation and how the related quasiparticle will decay once excited.