James D. D. Martin

Associate Professor of Physics, University of Waterloo

Contact information:

Research Interests:

Experimental Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics (AMO), especially Rydberg atoms.

For more information, please see our publications.

News:

• April 2026: Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. A: Stern-Gerlach interferometry in three dimensions: the role of transverse fields, D. Meng, D. Z. Chan, J. D. D. Martin.
• January 2026: Joe Hao has developed an electronics kit that teaches about basic electronic components and soldering. If you are interested in electronics and/or experimental physics, this is a great way to get some background skills! See: here for how to get a kit.
• March 2024: Check out this educational video: Wavicles and the Weakest Bond --- can two helium atoms form a molecule? made by U. Nandivada and myself!
• January 2024: Comment on "Matter-wave interferometry with helium atoms in low-l Rydberg states", Published, Physical Review A
• November 2023: (Editor's Pick!) Thermal physics in the data age --- students judge the applicability of the equipartition theorem, Am. J. Phys. v. 91, pg 988 (2023).
• March 2021: A simple derivation of Floquet's theorem, as normally applied to unitary evolution in quantum mechanics is available here.
• March 2020: We have recently identified the precise relationship between Many-Mode Floquet Theory (MMFT) and "regular" Floquet theory (as formulated by Shirley), in the case of commensurate frequencies.

If you are interested in joining our group as a graduate student, you are welcome to contact me to discuss potential research projects.

Teaching:

I have taught a wide variety of courses here at UW, ranging from introductory second year optics to graduate quantum mechanics. I have assembled a small selection of problems from these courses, that may be of interest to others.

I also have a selection of third year thermal physics problems available here

I'm working on a set of notes concerning special relativity and electromagnetic radiation: Accelerate to radiate They are suitable for upper-year and graduate students. They are currently incomplete.

Current:

1. Phys 391, Electronics, Winter 2026.

Future:

1. Phys 263, Classical Mechanics and Special Relativity, Spring 2026, Textbook: Kleppner and Kolenkow's Introduction to Mechanics, 2nd ed
2. Phys 701, Quantum Mechanics (Graduate), Fall 2026.

Recent Past:

1. Phys 267, Probability, Statistics, and Data Analysis in Physics and Astronomy, Spring 2025.
   
2. Phys 267, Probability, Statistics, and Data Analysis in Physics and Astronomy, Winter 2025.
   
3. Phys 701, Quantum Mechanics (graduate), Fall 2024. Textbook will be Jackson's, "A course in quantum mechanics", ISBN: 978-1119880387
4. Phys 267, Probability, Statistics, and Data Analysis in Physics and Astronomy, Spring 2024.
5. I taught Phys 706, Electromagnetic Theory (graduate), in the Winter 2024 term.
   
6. I taught Phys 701, Quantum Mechanics (graduate), in the Fall 2023 term.
7. I taught Phys 706, Electromagnetic Theory (graduate), in the Winter 2022 term.
   
8. I taught Phys 442, Electricity and Magnetism 3, in the Fall 2021 term.
   
9. I taught Phys 358, Thermal Physics, in the Spring 2020 and Fall 2020 terms.
10. I taught Phys 263, Classical Mechanics and Special Relativity, in the Winter 2019 term.
11. I taught Phys 701, Quantum Mechanics (graduate), in the Fall 2018 term.
12. I taught Phys 706, Electromagnetic theory (graduate), in the Winter 2018 term.