Spin-orbit coupling nature

As the actinides are a Second f series it is natural to expect similarities with the lanthanides in their magnetic and spectroscopic properties. However, while previous treatments of the lanthanides (p. 1242) provide a useful starting point in discussing the actinides, important differences are to be noted. Spin-orbit coupling is again strong (2000-4000 cm ) but, because of the greater exposure of the 5f... 

The basis for this formula is just the same as described above but, in this case, spin-orbit coupling admixes the higher-lying 2 2(g) term wavefunctions into the ground E(g). The coefficient 2 in Eq. (5.17) rather than the 4 in Eq. (5.16) arises from the different natures of the wavefunctions being mixed together. 

As seen in the radiationless process, intercombinational radiative transitions can also be affected by spin-orbit interaction. As stated previously, spin-orbit coupling serves to mix singlet and triplet states. Although this mixing is of a highly complex nature, some insight can be gained by first-order perturbation theory. From first-order perturbation theory one can write a total wave function for the triplet state as... 

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. 

Spin-orbit coupling problems are of a genuine quantum nature since a priori spin is a quantity that only occurs in quantum mechanics. However, already Thomas (Thomas, 1927) had introduced a classical model for spin precession. Later, Rubinow and Keller (Rubinow and Keller, 1963) derived the Thomas precession from a WKB-like approach to the Dirac equation. They found that although the spin motion only occurs in the first semiclassical correction to the relativistic classical electron motion, it can be expressed in merely classical terms. 

The first case has already been considered section 2.0 the second case leads to a strong classical spin-orbit coupling, which is reflected in a Hamiltonian nature of the classical combined dynamics. In both situations the procedure is to find a suitable approximate Hamiltonian Hq( ) that propagates coherent states exactly along appropriate classical spin-orbit trajectories (x(l,),p(t),n(l,)). (For problems with only translational degrees of freedom this has been suggested in (Heller, 1975) and proven in (Combescure and Robert, 1997).) Then one treats the full Hamiltonian as a perturbation of the approximate one and calculates the full time evolution in quantum mechanical perturbation theory (via the Dyson series), i.e., one iterates the Duhamel formula... 

Phosphorescence excitation spectroscopy also allows us to observe the transitions starting at 389 nm to the second triplet state, which is of (n,n ) nature. Direct spin-orbit coupling (mechanism I) to a Sn n,n ) state introduces strong in-plane, long-axis polarization. Indeed, in-plane polarization is preferred over out-of-plane polarization by 3 1, and long-axis polarization is about four times stronger than the short-axis contribution. 

General relationships between AOM and crystal field parameters are shown in Table 23. Using the AOM one can easily compute the electronic energy levels, inclusive of spin-orbit coupling, without any symmetry assumption or perturbation procedure, and it is also easy to account for the different chemical natures of the ligands and for differences in bond distances. It is also possible to handle anisotropic n interactions, which can be expected to occur with pyridine or pyridine iV-oxide ligands.366,367 General review articles on the AOM and its applications have already appeared.364,368-371... 

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