Course Information
In this web page we provide the syllabus of the course Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, offered by the Department of Physics.
The list of the courses offered during the current accademic year is available here.
The list of all courses offered by the Department of Physics is available here.
| Code | Φ-467 |
|---|---|
| Title | Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics |
| Category | B |
| ECTS | 6 |
| Hours | 4 |
| Level | Undergraduate |
| Semester | Spring |
| Teacher | P. Rakitzis |
| Program |
Monday, 09:00-11:00, Room 1 Wednesday, 09:00-11:00, Room 1 |
| Course Webpage | |
| Goal of the Course | The course is addressed to fourth year physics undergraduate students and has a main goal to introduce them to the basic concepts of atomic and molecular physics as well as the interaction of matter with radiation. In combination with the course Quantum Mechanics II (Structure of Matter) this course covers adequately the knowledge a student must have mastered in order to study in a more advanced theoretical or experimental level topics of physics of materials. It is recommended that a student has good command of the material covered in the courses Modern Physics I (Φ-201) and Quantum Mechanics I (Φ-301). |
| Syllabus |
Review of the structure of the hydrogen atom without spin (energy levels, wavefunctions, quantum numbers). Theory of angular momentum, spin, spin-orbit interaction, fine structure. Systematics of the spectra of multielectron atoms, central field approximation, LS-coupling, jj-coupling, review of spectra, quantum defect theory. Formal theory of angular momentum, addition of angular momenta, irreducible tensor operators, Wigner-Eckart theorem. Two-electron systems, variational approach, many-electron systems. Hyperfine structure and isotope shift. The atom in external static electric and magnetic field, light shift. The atom in time-dependent external fields, selection rules, dipole and multipole transitions in LS and jj coupling. Interaction of the quantized electromagnetic field with atoms, density matrix, absorption, emission, scattering, coherent excitation, optical pumping. Atomic collisions, spectral line broadening, Dicke narrowing, spin exchange, electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). Cold atoms, laser cooling and trapping, magneto-optical traps, Bose-Einstein condensation. Molecules, Born-Oppenheimer approximation, molecular orbitals and self-consistent field method, electronic states of simple molecules, hydrogen molecule, diatomic and linear molecules, hybrid orbitals, molecular spectra, vibrations, rotations. |
| Bibliography | Notes of the Instructor |
