2024 Faculty Courses School of Science Department of Physics Graduate major in Physics
Light and Matter I
- Academic unit or major
- Graduate major in Physics
- Instructor(s)
- Mikio Kozuma
- Class Format
- Lecture (Face-to-face)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 3-4 Wed
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- PHY.C446
- Number of credits
- 100
- Course offered
- 2024
- Offered quarter
- 4Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 14, 2025
- Language
- English
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
Students have already learned about the hydrogen atom, spin orbit interactions, the Zeeman effect, and Stark effect through undergraduate quantum mechanics. However, it is difficult to answer why although both the hydrogen atom and alkaline atom have one electron in the outermost shell, there is a big different in their energy structures. Actually, energy for a hydrogen atom depends only on the primary quantum number, but for an alkaline atom, even if the primary quantum number is the same, with a different azimuthal quantum number the energy will change. We will try again to intuitively understand the phenomena learned in an undergraduate course. Among the interactions between atoms and external fields, the interaction with the electromagnetic field is very important when it comes to applications. By treating the electromagnetic field as a sinusoidally oscillating electric field, we can represent the interaction between atoms and an electromagnetic field. However, we know that we can quantize electromagnetic fields. What phenomenon cannot be understood without quantizing the electromagnetic field? We will also discuss such topics in this course.
Course description and aims
[Objectives] The goal is to understand basic atomic structure and spectroscopic features. Students will also understand the response when atoms are placed in the external field of magnetic fields, electric fields, and electromagnetic fields.
[Topics] Starting from the simplest hydrogen atoms, we will cover alkaline atoms with only one electron in the outermost layer, and helium atoms with two electrons. The energy structure of atoms breaks down from the interaction of spin with orbits. Through the contribution of nuclear spin, they obtain a more detailed structure. After getting a basic understanding of atomic energy structures, we will discuss the fissure and shift of energy generated when an atom escapes to the external field.
Keywords
Energy structure of atoms, atoms in an electrical or a magnetic fields, quantization of light field and light-atom interaction.
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
Fill-in-the-blank handouts are distributed before starting the lecture and the detailed explanations are given by using power-point.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Hydrogen atom, alkaline atom and fine structure (spin-orbit coupling). | Explain the energy structures of hydrogen and alkaline atoms. |
| Class 2 | Atoms in a magnetic field (the Zeeman effect) and Lande's g factor | Explain the ordinary and the anomalous Zeeman effects. |
| Class 3 | Atoms in an electric field (the Stark effect), light shift, Rabi oscillatoin and selection rules of optical transitions. | Explain the Stark effects obtained by applying static electric field or electro-magnetic field to the atoms. |
| Class 4 | Helium atom (singlet state, triplet state and exchange interaction ) | Explain the energy structure of helium atom. |
| Class 5 | Nuclear spin, Hyperfine structure, rethinking Lande's g factor and the Zeeman splitting of hyperfine structure | Explain the energy shift obtained by applying magnetic field to the atoms having hyperfine structures. |
| Class 6 | Quantization of electro-magnetic field, quadrature amplitude, Fock state, coherent state and squeezed state. | Explain the quantum state corresponding to the laser field. |
| Class 7 | Jaynes-Cummings model and vacuum Rabi splitting. | Explain the vacuum Rabi splitting. |
| Class 8 | Weisskopf-Wigner thoery of sponteneous emission and Cavity QED | Explain the spontaneous emission based on the quantum mechanics. |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
Handouts are distributed in the lecture.
Reference books, course materials, etc.
"Atomic Physics", Christopher J. Foot, Oxford master series in atomic, optical and laser physics
"The Physics of Atoms and Quanta", H. Haken and H. C. Wolf, Springer
Evaluation methods and criteria
Learning achievement is evaluated based on report submissions.
Related courses
- PHY.Q207 ： Introduction to Quantum Mechanics
- PHY.Q208 ： Quantum Mechanics II
- PHY.Q311 ： Quantum Mechanics III
- PHY.E205 ： Electromagnetism
- PHY.E212 ： Electromagnetism II
- PHY.E310 ： Electromagnetism III
Prerequisites
It is desired to acquire basic knowledge on the quantum mechanics.