Second quantization: basics

Quantum Condensed Matter Physics: Lecture 11

Theoretical physicist Dr Andrew Mitchell presents an advanced undergraduate / introductory Master's level lecture course on Quantum Condensed Matter Physics at University College Dublin. This is a complete and self-contained set of lectures, in which the theory is built up from scratch, and requires only a knowledge of basic quantum mechanics.

In this lecture I discuss quantum mechanical many-particle systems of fermions, and develop the foundations of the second quantization (occupation number) formalism used to treat them. We start in this lecture with the basics for a single quantum orbital, defining creation and annihilation operators, and deriving the operator algebra, encoded in the anticommutation relations.

Navigate through the lectures of this course in order using the playlist:
   • Quantum condensed matter physics lect...  

Recommended course textbook: "Many-body quantum theory in condensed matter physics" by Bruss and Flensberg