Atom—Field Interactions
in Lectures on Light
May 2010; published online September 2010.
Chapter. Subjects: atomic, molecular, and optical physics. 15914 words.
In Chapter 3 the interaction Hamiltonian which determines the way light interacts with matter is derived. Simple perturbative analysis is applied to see if basic dynamics of atoms can be explained....
Atomic and Laser Spectroscopy
October 2006; published online September 2007.
Book. Subjects: atomic, molecular, and optical physics. 784 pages.
This book gives an account of the progress that has been made in the fields of atomic physics and laser spectroscopy during the last fifty years. The first five chapters prepare the foundations of...
ATOMIC FINE STRUCTURE
in Molecular Beams
January 1986; published online September 2007.
Chapter. Subjects: atomic, molecular, and optical physics. 7109 words.
Atomic fine structure is the separation of atomic energy levels due to the interaction of the electron spin with atomic fields at the electron. This structure was discovered in optical spectra long...
Atomic Force Microscopy
March 2010; published online May 2010.
Book. Subjects: atomic, molecular, and optical physics. 256 pages.
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is an amazing technique that allies a versatile methodology (it allows the imaging of samples in liquid, vacuum or air) to imaging with unprecedented resolution. But it...
ATOMIC MOMENTS AND HYPERFINE STRUCTURES
in Molecular Beams
January 1986; published online September 2007.
Chapter. Subjects: atomic, molecular, and optical physics. 19284 words.
The earliest magnetic resonance experiments were with non-paramagnetic molecules in 1Σ states which have no net electronic magnetic moment. They were later applied to paramagnetic atoms, which gave...
Atoms in a box
in Exploring the Quantum
August 2006; published online January 2010.
Chapter. Subjects: atomic, molecular, and optical physics. 35776 words.
This chapter describes the essential features of ion traps and the quantum information science that these systems make possible. Section 8.1 analyses the Paul trap design generally used in these...
Basic Classical Concepts
in Lectures on Light
May 2010; published online September 2010.
Chapter. Subjects: atomic, molecular, and optical physics. 3752 words.
Chapter 1 is an extremely brief review of the elementary aspects of light as a classical electromagnetic wave. Maxwell's equations are outlined and the scalar wave equation is derived from them. Then...
Basic Dynamics of Point Particles and Collections
in Analytical Mechanics for Relativity and Quantum Mechanics
July 2005; published online January 2010.
Chapter. Subjects: atomic, molecular, and optical physics. 7114 words.
Modern mechanics begins with the publication in 1687 of Isaac Newton’s Principia, in which he explains mathematically the motions of planets, moons, comets, and tides in what is now known as the...
Basic elements of laser physics
in Astrophysical Lasers
December 2008; published online May 2009.
Chapter. Subjects: atomic, molecular, and optical physics. 9206 words.
This chapter discusses the basic elements of laser science. Knowledge of these elements will allow readers of later chapters to distinguish more easily the specific properties of astrophysical lasers...
Basic Quantum Mechanics
in Lectures on Light
May 2010; published online September 2010.
Chapter. Subjects: atomic, molecular, and optical physics. 13274 words.
Chapter 2 begins with a discussion of the de Broglie wave concept that is the foundation of quantum mechanics. The idea that particles can exhibit wave‐like behavior is an important part of the...