This book is meant to be a text for a ?rst course in quantum physics. It is assumed that the student has had courses in Modern Physics and in mathematics through differential equations. The book is otherwise self-contained and does not rely on outside resources such as the internet to supplement the material. SI units are used throughoutexcept for those topics for which atomic units are especially convenient. It is our belief that for a physics major a quantum physics textbook should be more than a one- or two-semester acquaintance. Consequently, this book contains material that, while germane to the subject, the instructor might choose to omit because of time limitations. There are topics and examples included that are not normally covered in introductory textbooks. These topics are not necessarily too advanced, they are simply not usually covered. We have not, however, presumed to tell the instructor which topics must be included and which may be omitted. It is our intention that omitted subjects are available for future reference in a book that is already familiar to its owner. In short, it is our hope that the student will use the book as a reference after having completed the course. We have included at the end of most chapters a "Retrospective" of the chapter. Thisis notmeanttobemerelya summary, but, rather, anoverviewoftheimportance ofthe material andits placein the contextofpreviousandforthcomingchapters.

The importance of the ?eld of atomic physics to modern technology cannot be overemphasized. Atomic physics served as a major impetus to the development of the quantum theory of matter in the early part of the twentieth century and, due to the availability of the laser as a laboratory tool, it has taken us into the twen- ?rst century with an abundance of new and exciting phenomena to understand. Our intention in writing this book is to provide a foundation for students to begin researchinmodernatomicphysics. Asthetitleimplies, itisnot, norwasitintended to be, an all-inclusive tome covering every aspect of atomic physics. Any specialized textbook necessarily re?ects the predilection of the authors toward certain aspects of the subject. This one is no exception. It re?ects our - lief that a thorough understanding of the unique properties of the hydrogen atom is essential to an understanding of atomic physics. It also re?ects our fasci- tion with the distinguished position that Mother Nature has bestowed on the pure Coulomb and Newtonian potentials, and thus hydrogen atoms and Keplerian - bits. Therefore, we have devoted a large portion of this book to the hydrogen atom toemphasizethisdistinctiveness. Weattempttostresstheuniquenessoftheattr- tive 1/r potential without delving into group theory. It is our belief that, once an understanding of the hydrogen atom is achieved, the properties of multielectron atoms can be understood as departures from hydrogenic propertie

This book is meant to be a text for a ?rst course in quantum physics. It is assumed that the student has had courses in Modern Physics and in mathematics through differential equations. The book is otherwise self-contained and does not rely on outside resources such as the internet to supplement the material. SI units are used throughoutexcept for those topics for which atomic units are especially convenient. It is our belief that for a physics major a quantum physics textbook should be more than a one- or two-semester acquaintance. Consequently, this book contains material that, while germane to the subject, the instructor might choose to omit because of time limitations. There are topics and examples included that are not normally covered in introductory textbooks. These topics are not necessarily too advanced, they are simply not usually covered. We have not, however, presumed to tell the instructor which topics must be included and which may be omitted. It is our intention that omitted subjects are available for future reference in a book that is already familiar to its owner. In short, it is our hope that the student will use the book as a reference after having completed the course. We have included at the end of most chapters a "Retrospective" of the chapter. Thisis notmeanttobemerelya summary, but, rather, anoverviewoftheimportance ofthe material andits placein the contextofpreviousandforthcomingchapters.

The study of atomic physics propelled us into the quantum age in the early twentieth century and carried us into the twenty-first century with a wealth of new and, in some cases, unexplained phenomena. Topics in Atomic Physics provides a foundation for students to begin research in modern atomic physics. It can also serve as a reference because it contains material that is not easily located in other sources.

A distinguishing feature is the thorough exposition of the quantum mechanical hydrogen atom using both the traditional formulation and an alternative treatment not usually found in textbooks. The alternative treatment exploits the preeminent nature of the pure Coulomb potential and places the Lenz vector operator on an equal footing with other operators corresponding to classically conserved quantities. A number of difficult to find proofs and derivations are included as is development of operator formalism that permits facile solution of the Stark effect in hydrogen.

Discussion of the classical hydrogen atom is also presented. Using the correspondence principle this provides a transition from classical to quantum concepts. It is also adapted to describing certain characteristics of multi-electron atoms.

The book is intended for graduate students who have had introductory quantum mechanics, but undergraduates who have had such a course can also benefit from it. There are more than eighty problems at the ends of chapters with all answers given. A detailed solutions manual, in some cases giving more than one solution, is available to instructors.

Charles E. Burkhardt earned his Ph.D. in experimental atomic physics at Washington University in St.Louis in 1985. He is Professor of Physics at Florissant Valley Community College in St. Louis. Jacob J. Leventhal earned his Ph.D. in experimental atomic physics at the University of Florida in 1965. He is Curators' Professor at the University of Missouri a" St. Louis. They have collaborated on experimental atomic physics since 1980, publishing numerous papers in research and teaching journals.