A thorough knowledge of the physics of atoms and quanta is clearly a must for every student of physics but also for students of neighbouring disciplines such as chemistry and electrical engineering. What these students especially need is a coherent presenta tion of both the experimental and the theoretical aspects of atomic and quantum physics. Indeed, this field could evolve only through the intimate interaction between ingenious experiments and an equally ingenious development of bold new ideas. It is well known that the study of the microworld of atoms caused a revolution of physical thought, and fundamental ideas of classical physics, such as those on measur ability, had to be abandoned. But atomic and quantum physics is not only a fascinating field with respect to the development of far-reaching new physical ideas. It is also of enormous importance as a basis for other fields. For instance, it provides chemistry with a conceptual basis through the quantum theory of chemical bonding. Modern solid-state physics, with its numerous applications in communication and computer technology, rests on the fundamental concepts first developed in atomic and quantum physics. Among the many other important technical applications we mention just the laser, a now widely used light source which produces light whose physical nature is quite different from that of conventional lamps. In this book we have tried to convey to the reader some of the fascination which atomic and quantum physics still gives a physicist studying this field.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
1. Introduction. - 2. The Mass and Size of the Atom. - 3. Isotopes. - 4. The Nucleus of the Atom. - 5. The Photon. - 6. The Electron. - 7. Some Basic Properties of Matter Waves. - 8. Bohr s Model of the Hydrogen Atom. - 9. The Mathematical Framework of Quantum Theory. - 10. Quantum Mechanics of the Hydrogen Atom. - 11. Lifting of the Orbital Degeneracy in the Spectra of Alkali Atoms. - 12. Orbital and Spin Magnetism. Fine Structure. - 13. Atoms in a Magnetic Field: Experiments and Their Semiclassical Description. - 14. Atoms in a Magnetic Field: Quantum Mechanical Treatment. - 15. Atoms in an Electric Field. - 16. General Laws of Optical Transitions. - 17. Many-Electron Atoms. - 18. X-Ray Spectra. - 19. Structure of the Periodic System. Ground States of the Elements. - 20. Hyperfine Structure. - 21. The Laser. - 22. Modern Methods of Optical Spectroscopy. - 23. Fundamentals of the Quantum Theory of Chemical Bonding. - A. The Dirac Delta Function and the Normalisation of the Wavefunction of a Free Particle in Unbounded Space. - B. Some Properties of the Hamiltonian Operator, Its Eigenfunctions and Its Eigenvalues. - Bibliography of Supplementary and Specialised Literature. - Fundamental Constants of Atomic Physics (Inside Front Cover) Energy Conversion Table (Inside Back Cover).
