ATOMIC & MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
PHYSICS 471/550
W/'01
INSTRUCTOR:
Jacob J. Leventhal
Department of Physics
University of MO - St. Louis
St. Louis, MO 63121
Office: (314) 516-5934
Fax: (314) 516-6152
E-mail: jake@umsl.edu
Homepage: http://newton.umsl.edu/~jake/P471/
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Prerequisite: Quantum mechanics. Applications of quantum mechanics to the structure
of atoms and molecules; perturbation and variational calculations, self-consistent fields,
multiplets, angular momenta, Thomas-Fermi model, diatomic molecules, spectral
intensities.
PROBLEM SETS:
There are problem sets on the course web page. Your solutions will not be collected, but
you should have solved or know how to solve each assigned problem prior to the exams.
You are encouraged to work on these problems in groups.
EXAMS:
There will be two exams through the course of the semester. Because the four
universities have different calanders the exam dates will be set during the semester.
These exam dates will be announced well in advance. Each exam will cover roughly half
of the course material. There will be no comprehensive exam.
TEXT:
There is no formal textbook for this course although the "notes" can be downloaded from
the course web page. Also, much of the material is in standard quantum mechanics texts,
although more specialized books should also be consulted. Therefore, in addition to the
class notes, you should consider the texts that you used for all quantum mechanics
courses as texts for this course too. A few books that might be useful are listed below.
There are many others.
Some standard QM texts
Park: Introduction to Quantum Theory
Sakurai: Modern Quantum Mechanics
Saxon: Elementary Quantum Mechanics
Schiff: Quantum Mechanics
A few specialty books
Atkins: Molecular Quantum Mechanics
Bransden & Joachain: Physics of Atoms and Molecules
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Morrison, Estle & Lane: Quantum States of Atoms, Molecules & Solids
Weissbluth: Atoms & Molecules
REFERENCES:
Some of these references below can be downloaded from:
http://newton.umsl.edu/~atomic/
R. R. Freeman and D. Kleppner, "Core Polarization and Quantum Defects in HighAngular
Momentum States of Alkali Atoms", Phys. Rev. A 14, 1614-1619 (1976).
T. P. Hezel, C. E. Burkhardt, M. Ciocca and J. J. Leventhal, "Classical View of the Stark
Effect in Hydrogen Atoms", Am. J. Phys. 60, 324 (1992).
T. P. Hezel, C. E. Burkhardt, M. Ciocca, L-W He and J. J. Leventhal, "Classical View of
the Properties of Rydberg Atoms: Application of the Correspondence Principle",
Am. J. Phys. 60, 329 (1992).
J. F. Baugh, M. Ciocca, D. A. Edmonds, P. T. Nellesen, C. E. Burkhardt and J. J.
Leventhal,
"Polarizability of a Hydrogenic State", Phys. Rev. A 54, R4645-R4648 (1996).
J. F. Baugh, D. A. Edmonds, P. T. Nellesen, C. E. Burkhardt and J. J. Leventhal, "Atomic
Polarizabilities: Quantal and Classical Perspectives" Am. J. Phys. 65, 602-605 (1997).
J. F. Baugh, W. P. Garver, C. E. Burkhardt and J. J. Leventhal, "Population of Stark
wave-packet states by cw laser excitation", Phys. Rev. A 58, R785-R788 (1998).
J. F. Baugh, D. A. Edmonds, P. T. Nellesen, C. E. Burkhardt and J. J. Leventhal,
"Coherent States Composed of Stark Eigenfunctions of the Hydrogen Atom",
Am. J. Phys. 65, 1097-1102 (1997).
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