The WKB method plays an essential role in the development of quantum mechanics (QM). However, it is valid only when certain conditions hold. In the past couple of years, together with our students/postdocs, we, Drs. Cleaver, Kirsten, Sheng and I, have systematically developed a new method applicable to Schrodinger-like equations, in which the upper bound of the errors is known explicitly and can be as small as 0.15% up to the third-order approximation. Applying the method to several well-known cases in QM, we find that significant improvement over the WKB method can be achieved. Recently, this method has also been applied successfully to the studies of gravitational waves, black holes and cosmology. Taking this opportunity, I shall also present a brief intro to the 2022 Physics Nobel Prize on quantum entanglement.

Our colloquium is on every Wednesday 4-5PM US central time. You can see the talk schedule at https://www.baylor.edu/physics/colloquia. The streaming will start a little before each colloquium talk starts.