Exercises PHY141 Physik IV / Moderne Physik II - Series 4

Hand-out: 20.03.2024, Discussion: 27.03.2024

1. Energy levels in Alkali atoms

(a) Explain qualitatively why the 4p state in Potassium has a higher energy level
than the 4s state.
(b) In the Litium atom, the energy of the lowest possible state 2s is −5.39 eV and
that of 20s is −0.034 eV. What is the effective nuclear charge number and the
mean radius in each of these states? Explain the reason for Z being equal to
or different.

2. Hund’s rules and the periodic table

(a) Give an explanation for Hund’s rule that the energetic lowest state of a multi-
electron atom is realised through the state with the highest total spin of all
electrons that is compatible with the Pauli principle.
(b) Determine the configuration of Si (Z = 14), P (Z = 15) and S (Z = 16) in the
ground state with the most probable terms following Hund’s rules (with short
explanation).
(c) Going beyond the 3p6 orbit: Why does the periodic table continue with the 4s
and not the 3d sub-shell? How would the periodic table look like if that wasn’t
the case?

3. Hund’s rules for nuclear spins

Hund’s rules describe the filling of electronic m- and spin states for a given nl shell.
They are a consequence of the exchange integral which appears in the Coulomb in-
teraction of fermions. The nucleus consists of protons and neutrons, both fermions
of spin 1/2. Nuclei are classified as (EE), (EO), etc. according to even (E) and
odd (O) numbers of protons and neutrons, respectively. It turns out that (EE)
nuclei are, by far, more stable than other combinations. Moreover, (EE) nuclei have
nuclear spin I = 0, like e.g. 42 He or 12
6 C.

(a) Develop a (Hund’s) rule for the spins of nucleons. Hint: Protons are charged
particles. How can they be confined to an extremely small volume as in the
nucleus?
(b) Why do we have to consider protons and neutrons separately?
(c) Explain why the spin of a (EE) nucleus is zero.
4. j − j coupling
The ground state of Ge has the configuration (4p)2 and spectroscopic term 3 P0 .

(a) Explain the meaning of this notation and state the assumptions about atomic
structure on which it is based.
(b) Derive the allowed states of a (3p)1 (4s)1 configuration in the l − s and j −
j coupling. Explain the interactions which give rise to the various energy
splittings.

5. Excited atomic states

Give the electronic configurations and term symbols of the first excited electronic
states of the atoms up to Z = 3.

6. Exotic atoms

Consider a muonic atom with a mass of 140 atomic mass units and Z = 60.

(a) What’s the photon energy for the transition n = 2 → n = 1?

(b) At which value of the main quantum n is the radius rn of the muon orbit as
large as the smallest radius of the electron orbit?