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Zeeman Perturbation Matrices in the Coupled Basis

Keywords: Quantum Mechanics, Angular Momentum, Perturbation Theory, Matrix Notation

qmzeemancoupled.jpg

Highlights of the activity

  1. Students write down angular momentum matrices by inspection.
  2. Students use Clebsch-Gordan coefficients to calculate angular momentum matrices in the coupled basis.

Reasons to spend class time on the activity

The weak field Zeeman effect requires students to work in the coupled basis, where the fine structure is diagonal, but the Zeeman perturbation is not diagonal. This activity shows students the power of the Clebsch-Gordan coefficients.

Reflections

Instructor's Guide

qmzeemancoupledguide.pdf


Authors: David H. McIntyre
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