Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T06:44:16.384Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 7 - Spin

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2012

Donald D. Fitts
Affiliation:
University of Pennsylvania
Get access

Summary

Electron spin

In our development of quantum mechanics to this point, the behavior of a particle, usually an electron, is governed by a wave function that is dependent only on the cartesian coordinates x, y, z or, equivalently, on the spherical coordinates r, θ, ϕ. There are, however, experimental observations that cannot be explained by a wave function which depends on cartesian coordinates alone.

In a quantum-mechanical treatment of an alkali metal atom, the lone valence electron may be considered as moving in the combined field of the nucleus and the core electrons. In contrast to the hydrogen-like atom, the energy levels of this valence electron are found to depend on both the principal and the azimuthal quantum numbers. The experimental spectral line pattern corresponding to transitions between these energy levels, although more complex than the pattern for the hydrogen-like atom, is readily explained. However, in a highly resolved spectrum, an additional complexity is observed; most of the spectral lines are actually composed of two lines with nearly identical wave numbers. In an alkaline-earth metal atom, which has two valence electrons, many of the lines in a highly resolved spectrum are split into three closely spaced lines. The spectral lines for the hydrogen atom, as discussed in Section 6.5, are again observed to be composed of several very closely spaced lines, with equation (6.83) giving the average wave number of each grouping.

Type
Chapter
Information
Principles of Quantum Mechanics
As Applied to Chemistry and Chemical Physics
, pp. 194 - 207
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1999

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

  • Spin
  • Donald D. Fitts, University of Pennsylvania
  • Book: Principles of Quantum Mechanics
  • Online publication: 05 June 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511813542.008
Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Spin
  • Donald D. Fitts, University of Pennsylvania
  • Book: Principles of Quantum Mechanics
  • Online publication: 05 June 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511813542.008
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Spin
  • Donald D. Fitts, University of Pennsylvania
  • Book: Principles of Quantum Mechanics
  • Online publication: 05 June 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511813542.008
Available formats
×