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Open Courseware: Atomic and Molecular Physics (Fall, 2009) Synopsis The aim of this course is to provide a general atomic and molecular physics background to the starting graduate students in physics. A particular emphasis will be placed on familiarity with quantum mechanical description of the simplest atom, hydrogen, and its alike, alkali atoms. Subjects to be covered include quantum defect and WKB method, physics of fine and hyperfine structures and interactions with external fields. One-electron-atom theory will be extended to multi-electron atoms in the context of Hartree-Fock formalism, followed by composition of multiplet wave functions, methods for identifying possible terms for given configurations, and physics of isotope shifts. In the discussion of radiative interactions of atoms, various multipole interactions and associated selection rules will be discussed in the framework of field quantization. Interactions with intense laser fields will be discussed with a flavor of modern quantum optics or so-called dressed state picture. Discussions on Born-Oppenheimer approximation will be given, followed by extension to the discussion of hydrogen molecules and molecular ions. Online Lectures - Lecture 01
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