Course Identification
Advanced Classical Mechanics
Lecturers and Teaching Assistants
Prof. David Tannor
Course Schedule and Location
Second Semester
Tuesday, 14:15 - 16:00, WSoS, Rm 1
17/03/2026
Field of Study, Course Type and Credit Points
Chemical Sciences: Seminar; Elective; Regular; 3.00 points
Physical Sciences: 2.00 points
Comments
This course will be held by hybrid learning.
Attendance and participation
Required in at least 80% of the lectures
Estimated Weekly Independent Workload (in hours)
Syllabus
This is a seminar course on advanced topics in classical and semiclassical mechanics. The course will meet once a week for 2 hours. The format of the course will be approximately 50% frontal lectures by the instructor and 50% seminars by the students on topics that are part of the syllabus. The course is a simple and pictorial approach to advanced classical mechanics, emphasizing how each new formulation of classical mechanics leads to different formulation of quantum mechanics (marked by Q in the syllabus).
Learning Outcomes
The student will learn a variety of advanced topics in classical mechanics and then how these reformulations of classical mechanics lead to quantum mechanics and semiclassical approximations.
Reading List
The primary text will be The Semiclassical Way by Heller. Additional texts: Gutzwiller, Chaos in Classical and Quantum Mechanics; Arnold, Geometrical Methods in Classical Mechanics; Miller, Classical S-matrix Theory.