Atomic Physics

Course description:
The electromagnetic spectrum. thermal radiation. Kirchhoff's law; absorption, emission and reflection; black body radiation. The Stefan-Boltzmann law and Wien's-law. Planck's radiation law. Measurement of high temperatures. Luminescence. The photoelectric effect; the Einstein equation, photocells. Development of the atomic theory. The Thomson model, Rutherford's experiment. The Bohr-postulates; Bohr's model of the H atom. The Franck-Hertz experiment. Optical spectra, spectroscopic terms. Emission and absorption spectra. The spectra of hydrogen and of hydrogen-like ions, the role of the nuclear motion. Elliptic electron trajectories; the old quantum theory, introduction of quantum numbers Spectra of alkaline atoms; the "quantum defect". The electron spin; fine structure of spectral lines. The Zeeman and Stark effects. Spectra of atoms with several electrons; the vector model. Pauli's principle; the periodic table of elements. X-ray (Röntgen) spectra. The Compton effect. The dual nature of light and the microparticles. Matter waves, group velocity. Diffraction of electron-, atomic and molecular beams. Elements of light-matter interaction. Elementary quantum mechanics. The Schrödinger equation; the meaning of eigenvalues, eigenfunctions and the wavefunction. Particle in a potential well, transport through the potential barrier, tunneling.. Wave mechanical model of the hydrogen atom. Quantum mechanical treatment of the harmonic oscillator. Heisenberg's uncertainty principle; wave groups, zero point energy. Elementary quantum mechanical explanation of radiation. Stationary and transition dipole momenta, Einstein's coefficients. The conditions of optical amplification; lasers.

Recommended Texts:

• Budó-Mátrai.: Kísérleti Fizika 3. Tankönyvkiadó, Bp. 1992
•  Savelyev I. V.: Physics. A general course, Vol. III., Mir,  Moscow 1980
•  Keszthelyi L.: Atomok és atomi részecskék,  Mûszaki, Bp. 1962