Atomic and Molecular Physics: A Student's Noteboo
Shivraj Deshmukh
Abstract
A comprehensive set of lecture and study notes covering fundamental atomic and molecular physics. The text systematically works through the breakdown of the classical Rutherford atom and the Bohr-Sommerfeld model, followed by a full 3D Schrödinger treatment of the hydrogen atom using spherical harmonics and Laguerre polynomials. It details relativistic corrections, spin-orbit coupling, and fine structure via Clebsch-Gordan addition and Kramers' recursion relations. The notes further explore magnetic field interactions (normal and anomalous Zeeman effect, Paschen-Back effect), time-dependent perturbation theory for light-matter transitions, electric dipole selection rules, the 21-cm hyperfine splitting of hydrogen, and two-electron systems (Helium, exchange integrals, and Slater determinants). Includes extensive reference tables and angular momentum formulas.