Mathematical Physics Seminar

University of Memphis
Summer 2011
D. P. Dwiggins, PhD

Note: Scroll below to see what transpired in the Mathematical Physics Seminar
during the first half of Summer 2011. During that time, Dr. Franceschetti of the
Physics Department began a Quantum Mechanics Seminar. Thus, for the remainder
of Summer 2011, these two seminars will be combined, as we work on solutions to
the wave equation with distribution potentials.

Here are some notes I have typed up: Delta Potentials

Here is my analysis of the Double Delta Potential problem.

The inaugural session of the Mathematical Physics Seminar at the University of Memphis
was held on Wednesday, 8 June 2011. It was decided to hold future sessions on a weekly basis,
and currently the seminar will meet each Wednesday afternoon at 2:00 in Room 245, Dunn Hall.

June 8 Handout (PowerPoint .ppt file)
This consists of some notes taken from the text, Principles of Physical Cosmology by P.J.E. Peebles, Princeton.
It contains an overview of tensor notation, covariant and contravariant vectors, and tensor products.

June 15 Handout (Word .doc file)
An outline of the text, Classical Theory of Fields by Landau and Lifshitz (L&L), U.S.S.R. 1975.
Also contains a detailed discussion of section one of the text, the Principle of Relativity.

Relativistic Transformations (.ppt)
Sections 2-5 of L&L's text, explaining the difference between Galilean and Lorentz transformations.

Vector and Tensor Analysis (.ppt)
Notes taken from a text by Robert Wrede, containing the only true definition of a tensor I have found so far.

Tensor Algebra and Tensor Geometry have been posted,
Tensor Calculus will be posted later on.

Electromagnetic Theory
Chapters 3-4 of L&L's text, concluding with the derivation of the electromagnetic field tensor.

More on Electromagnetic Field Theory
Notes from Chapter One of the text, Quantum Electrodynamics, by Suraj N. Gupta.