Solutiom to the Problems 145

Problem 3.8. Within the L = 3, S = 1/2, J = 5/2 set of levels, the (&st
order) response to an external magnetic field is given by the Zeeman term
(2.75)
%z = pgH(L 4-2 s ) gpBH.J (3.132)
where g = 6/7 (see Problem 2). We need the matrix elements of J5,Jar, and
Jz in the basis (3.79). Our solution follows [415].
As for J z , it is easy to verify that
(-1/2, f 1 / 2 ) JzI- 1/2, f 1 / 2 ) = f 1 / 2 .
(1/2, f 1 / 2 ) JzJ1/2,f 1 / 2 ) = f 1 1 / 6
(3.133)
Wishing to express the same in terms of our u and r , we notice that this is
achieved by the replacement
J z CC, (1 + ?8 r z ) . (3.134)

Now take the matrix elements of J+ and J-. For instance,

J+J1/2, --1/2) = (5/&)1 - 3/2) +m15/2)

thus (1/2,1/21 J+J1/2, -1/2) = 5/3. We might be tempted to claim that a
piece of J+ acts like (5/3)u+, but this would not be correct because

J+(- 1/2, -1/2) = 31 - 1/2,1/2).

Both results can be summarized in the replacement

But this is only one of the contributions to J+, because we still have

J+11/2,1/2) = ( 2 / h ) 1 - 1/2) w (-1/2, -1/2(J+11/2,1/2) = 2/&

and

J+I - 1/2,1/2) = 2&(3/2) (1/2, -1/21 J+I- 1/2,1/2) = 2/&

to account for, which is achieved by J+ w (2/&)u+(r+ + r - ) . - Repeating
the same for J- , we arrive at