Spin-orbit coupling/operator

The first theoretical handling of the weak R-T combined with the spin-orbit coupling was carried out by Pople [71]. It represents a generalization of the perturbative approaches by Renner and PL-H. The basis functions are assumed as products of (42) with the eigenfunctions of the spin operator conesponding to values E = 1/2. The spin-orbit contribution to the model Hamiltonian was taken in the phenomenological form (16). It was assumed that both interactions are small compared to the bending vibrational frequency and that both the... 

When spin-orbit couplings are added to the electrostatic Hamiltonian considered in the text, additional terms arise in H. These terms have the form of a one-electron additive operator ... 

For comparison with the usual second-order perturbation in the spin-orbit coupling, we assume that the first order calculation has taken all first-order effects into account as in Eq.(l 1). The second-order perturbation due to the interaction operator W is given by... 

However, there also exists a third possibility. By using a famous relation due to Dirac, the relativistic effects can be (in a nonunique way) divided into spin-independent and spin-dependent terms. The former are collectively called scalar relativistic effects and the latter are subsumed under the name spin-orbit coupling (SOC). The scalar relativistic effects can be straightforwardly included in the one-electron Hamiltonian operator h. Unless the investigated elements are very heavy, this recovers the major part of the distortion of the orbitals due to relativity. The SOC terms may be treated in a second step by perturbation theory. This is the preferred way of approaching molecular properties and only breaks down in the presence of very heavy elements or near degeneracy of the investigated electronic state. 

Thus, the total Hamiltonian operator H for a hydrogen atom including spin-orbit coupling is... 

While the Hamiltonian operator Hq for the hydrogen atom in the absence of the spin-orbit coupling term commutes with L and with S, the total Hamiltonian operator H in equation (7.33) does not commute with either L or S because of the presence of the scalar product L S. To illustrate this feature, we consider the commutators [L, L S] and [S, L S],... 

When spin-orbit coupling is introduced the symmetry states in the double group CJ are found from the direct products of the orbital and spin components. Linear combinations of the C"V eigenfunctions are then taken which transform correctly in C when spin is explicitly included, and the space-spin combinations are formed according to Ballhausen (39) so as to be diagonal under the rotation operation Cf. For an odd-electron system the Kramers doublets transform as e ( /2)a, n =1, 3, 5,... whilst for even electron systems the degenerate levels transform as e na, n = 1, 2, 3,. For d1 systems the first term in H naturally vanishes and the orbital functions are at once invested with spin to construct the C functions. 

Here, L is the angular momentum operator, ge is the g value for the free electron (ge = 2.0023), and X is the spin-orbit coupling constant. Considering only the z direction, this equation becomes... 

The labelling of terms as S,L,J,Mj) is preferable when one takes into account the effect of spin-orbit coupling, since / and Mj remain good quantum numbers even after this perturbation is accounted for. In detail, the effect of spin-orbit coupling over a many-electron atomic term is evaluated by writing the spin-orbit operator in terms of the total angular and spin momentum, L and 5 ... 

The effects of spin-orbit coupling on geometric phase may be illustrated by imagining the vibronic coupling between the two Kramers doublets arising from a 2E state, spin-orbit coupled to one of symmetry 2A. The formulation given below follows Stone [24]. The four 2E components are denoted by e, a), e a), e+ 3), c p), and those of 2A by coa), cop). The spin-orbit coupling operator has nonzero matrix elements... 

DR. SCHATZ Are you referring to the spin-orbit coupling low-symmetry splitting Yes. Presumably both effects could be operative. 

The main effect of taking spin-orbit interaction into account will be an admixture of singlet character to triplet states and triplet character to singlet states. The spin-orbit coupling Hamiltonian can to a good approximation be described by an effective one-electron operator Hso ... 

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