OPTI 473/573

7/06

OPTI 473/573 Atomic and Molecular Spectroscopy for Experimentalists (3). I. (Identical with PHYS 473/573.) Experimental techniques to generate, analyze and detect photons from X-ray to IR; interpretation of spectra from gases, liquids, solids and biological macromolecules; light scattering, polarization.

Course Outline (75-minute lectures):

This spectroscopy course is for the experimentalist and the theorist. It deals with the experimental techniques needed to check results predicted by atomic theory. The course develops somewhat historically in the direction of increasing sophistication of both experimental and theoretical techniques. We start experimentally with spectroscopic plates containing the Balmer lines of hydrogen and Bohr theory and then advance through the following topics:

1.  Hydrogen and hydrogen-like systems, isotope effects, radiative recombination, line spectra, continuous spectra, absorption, photoelectric effect, ionization potentials, series limits.

2.  Spin-orbit interaction effects on spectra, quantum mechanics of H-like systems, quantum numbers, spectroscopic notation, Pauli principle and the periodic table, mean lives, transition probabilities and oscillator strengths, intensity rules for doublets, selection rules -- electric and magnetic, dipole and quadrupole transitions, forbidden lines, metastable states, two-photon processes.

3.  Lande g-factors, Boltzman statistics, equilibrium, temperature, statistical weights, excitation functions, multiply-excited atoms, complex spectra, polarization, alignment and orientation.

The above topics will be connected to current research in the field and will provide a working knowledge of spectroscopic notation, spectral line compilations, the NBS-NIST energy level and transition probability tables. Experimental aspects deal with:

4.  Gratings, prisms, filters, resolving power, dispersion and speed of spectroscopic systems, spectrometer types -- Wadsworth, Czerny-Turner, Seya-Namioka, grazing incidence, Meinel, Paschen, etc., coupling optical systems, optical filters, optical speed and f-numbers, instrumental polarization, light sources-- point, line, plane, volume, intense, faint, pulsed, periodic and erratic-- in time and space, relative and absolute intensity calibrations traceable to the NBS-NIST.

5.  Stark effect and electric fields, Zeeman effect and magnetic fields, level crossing, Hanle effect, Doppler effect and temperature, the shift and shape of spectral lines, convolutions, atomic, environmental and instrumental line broadening mechanisms.

6.  Photomultipliers, photodiodes and CCDs, analog and photon counting techniques, photographic films and plates, strip charts, densitometers, computer acquisition and analysis of data.

A ¼-meter Czerny-Turner scanning mnochrometer, complete with analog and pulsed electronics, will be available for demonstrations and projects related to the above topics.

Knowledge of the fundamental topics covered in this course is necessary for anyone working with light, color or optical signals--whether your area of research is astronomy, chemistry, biology, electrical engineering, optical sciences, atmospheric sciences or physics. Remember: 99.99999% of what we learned about the Universe came to us by way of photons. Throughout the course we constantly investigate how to design and choose the best optical system to make a particular measurement, and how to optimize data-taking procedures.

The grade for the course will be determined from an extensive problem set, a short paper and an oral exam.

Grading Criteria:

In order to receive the grade of A in the course, the following must be done:

    1. Satisfactorily complete an 85 problem homework set,
    2. Write a three-page paper on a topic of the student’s choice related to the course,
    3. Pass an oral exam covering the homework problem set.

There will be no quizzes, in-class exams or final exam.

The problems will be due in three parts and handed in on time.

Part 1: Problems 1-30 due on the class date before October 15

Part 2: Problems 31-60 due on the class date before November 30

and lab manual questions

Part 3: Problems 61-85 due two class periods before the last day of class.

Each problem will receive one of the following grades:

Satisfactory 10, no points off

Should have done better 5, 5 points off

Unsatisfactory 0, 10 points off

The instructor will grade the problem sets and return them to the students so that they can correct the mistakes and ultimately do satisfactory work on all of them. By the official date of the final exam, all corrected problems should be returned to the instructor for final grading.

The 85 problem homework set is worth 90% of the grade, and the paper and oral exam are worth 10%. Loss of 10 points will be a grade of B, etc. No incompletes are given unless negotiated in advance.

The first homework set will be returned for corrections, the second and third set might not. All problems are due by 5:00 p.m. of the last day of classes. They can be put in the instructor’s mailbox. NOTHING is accepted after that date!

The paper is due on the second to the last week of classes.

All students are required to meet with the instructor before the last three weeks of the semester to discuss the problems.

Required Textbook:

  • G. Herzberg: Atomic Spectra and Atomic Structure (Dover