Undergraduate Course: Atomic and Molecular Physics (PHYS10026)
Course Outline
| School | School of Physics and Astronomy |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | The first half of this course deals principally with atomic structure and the interaction between atoms and fields. It covers electronic transitions, atomic spectra, excited states, hydrogenic and multi-electron atoms. The second half of the course deals with the binding of atoms into molecules, molecular degrees of freedom (electronic, vibrational, and rotational), elementary group theory considerations and molecular spectroscopy. |
| Course description |
Section 1: Electron Nuclear interactions
* Hydrogen atom review
* Degeneracy
* Spin-orbit coupling and fine structure
* Hyperfine interactions
* Spectral consequences of fine structure
Section 2: Electron¿ electron interactions
* Indistinguishability of particles
* Coupled angular momentum
* Pauli Exclusion Principle
* Exchange interaction
* Helium energy levels
* Coulomb/exchange integrals
* Degeneracy
* Alkali metal energy levels
Section 3: Atom - field Interactions
* Dipole transitions
* Normal and Anomalous Zeeman Effect
* Lande g-factor
* Spectral consequences of applied fields
* Stark Effect
Section 4: Atom - atom Interactions
* Bonding: Van der Waals, covalency
* New degrees of freedom rotations and vibrations
* Molecular electronic spectra
* Experimental probes Raman and infrared spectroscopy
* Selection rules
* Applications of symmetry and group theory: definitions/properties, representations applications to selection rules
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course it is intended that a student will be able to:
1)discuss the relativistic corrections for the energy levels of the hydrogen atom and their effect on optical spectra
2)derive the energy shifts due to these corrections using first order perturbation theory.
3)state and explain the key properties of many electron atoms and the importance of the Pauli exclusion principle
4)explain the observed dependence of atomic spectral lines on externally applied electric and magnetic fields
5)discuss the importance of group theory in molecular physics
6)state the formal properties of groups, characters and irreducible representations
7)state and justify the selection rules for various optical spectroscopies in terms of the symmetries of molecular vibrations
8)demonstrate a grasp of bonding types in molecules
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Additional Information
| Course URL |
WebCT |
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | AtMol |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Jason Crain
Tel: (0131 6)50 5265
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Siobhan Carroll
Tel: (0131 6)50 3079
Email: |
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