Department of Physics

10ΕΛΕ01 Atomic and Molecular Physics

Course webpage:  https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/PHYS159

Course outline

Course content

• The hydrogen atom. The electron spin and the interaction with an external magnetic field. Coupling with orbital angular momentum. Spectra. Fine structure.
• Multi-electron atoms. Helium spectrum. Pauli exclusion principle. Hartree theory. L–S and J–J coupling. Magnetic moments.
• Many-electron atoms. Spectra. Interaction with an external magnetic field. Multiple excitations. Hyperfine structure. LASER.
• Fundamental principles of molecular physics. Born-Oppenheimer approximation and two-atom molecules.
• Linear Combination of Atomic Orbitals (LCAO). Energy level diagram and molecular spectra. Symmetries in molecules.
• Experimental methods in molecular spectroscopy.