The Quantum Numbers

We can now write the Schrodinger equation for any system. The problem is how can we solve it for any system, or for even one system It turns out that we can solve the equation exactly for a one-electron system. All other cases will require some form of approximation. We ll not try to reproduce that solution here. For now we shall concentrate only the solutions and interpret them. A word of warning we revert back to the physicist s notation. In a subsequent chapter, we will explicitly connect the language of the physicist to that of the mathematician. We begin, for completeness, with the Schrodinger equation once more 

Recall that in our one-dimensional particle in a box, we have one quantum number. In a three-dimensional box, we have three. In short, we have one quantum number per coordinate (actually, per squared coordinate or degree of freedom, but we ll leave that distinction for another time). Below, we look at the quantum numbers and assess their significance. 

Recall that while Bohr assumed quantum numbers they result from the 

There are two possible sets of quantum numbers. Now take this concept one step further what about the first excited state of the hydrogen atom  

There are always 2n2 possible combinations of quantum numbers. We divide these into orbitals. Orbitals are maps of the probability of the electron being located at a certain region in space. They are designated by their angular momentum quantum numbers. The values of magnetic and spin quantum numbers define the electrons within an orbital. 

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The rotational energy of a rigid molecule is given by 7(7 + l)h /S-n- IkT, where 7 is the quantum number and 7 is the moment of inertia, but if the energy level spacing is small compared to kT, integration can replace summation in the evaluation of Q t, which becomes... 

V l5ini7iand S = I, respectively.. STmist be positive and can assume either integral or half-integral values, and the quantum numbers lie in the mterval... 

We have described here one particular type of molecular synnnetry, rotational symmetry. On one hand, this example is complicated because the appropriate symmetry group, K (spatial), has infinitely many elements. On the other hand, it is simple because each irreducible representation of K (spatial) corresponds to a particular value of the quantum number F which is associated with a physically observable quantity, the angular momentum. Below we describe other types of molecular synnnetry, some of which give rise to finite synnnetry groups. 

The ability to assign a group of resonance states, as required for mode-specific decomposition, implies that the complete Hamiltonian for these states is well approxmiated by a zero-order Hamiltonian with eigenfunctions [M]. The ( ). are product fiinctions of a zero-order orthogonal basis for the reactant molecule and the quantity m. represents the quantum numbers defining ( ).. The wavefimctions / for the compound state resonances are given by... 

Photoelectron peaks are labelled according to the quantum numbers of the level from which the electron originates. An electron coming from an orbital with main quantum number n, orbital momentum / (0, 1, 2, 3,. .. indicated as s, p, d, f,. ..) and spin momentum s (+1/2 or -1/2) is indicated as For every orbital momentum / > 0 there are two values of the total momentum j = l+Ml and j = l-Ml, each state filled with 2j + 1 electrons. Flence, most XPS peaks come in doublets and the intensity ratio of the components is (/ + 1)//. When the doublet splitting is too small to be observed, tire subscript / + s is omitted. 

As discussed above, the spectrum must be assigned, i.e. the quantum numbers of the upper and lower levels of the spectral lines must be available. In addition to the line positions, intensity infomiation is also required. 

Cartesian Gaussian-type orbitals (GTOs) Jfa.i.f( ( characterized by the quantum numbers a, b and c, which detail the angular shape and direction of the orbital, and the exponent a which governs the radial size . 

The quantum numbers tliat are appropriate to describe tire vibrational levels of a quasilinear complex such as Ar-HCl are tluis tire monomer vibrational quantum number v, an intennolecular stretching quantum number n and two quantum numbers j and K to describe tire hindered rotational motion. For more rigid complexes, it becomes appropriate to replace j and K witli nonnal-mode vibrational quantum numbers, tliough tliere is an awkw ard intennediate regime in which neitlier description is satisfactory see [3] for a discussion of tire transition between tire two cases. In addition, tliere is always a quantum number J for tire total angular momentum (excluding nuclear spin). The total parity (symmetry under space-fixed inversion of all coordinates) is also a conserved quantity tliat is spectroscopically important. 

Now, we have besides the vibrational, the electronic angular momentum the latter is characterized by the quantum number A corresponding to the magnitude of its projection along the molecular axis, L. Here we shall consider A as a unsigned quantity, that is, for each A 7 0 state there will be two possible projections of the electronic angular momentum, one corresponding to A and the other to —A. The operator Lj can be written in the form... 

The presence of two angular momenta has as a consequence that only their sum, representing the total angular momentum in the case considered, necessary commutes with the Hamiltonian of the system. Thus only the quantum number K, associated with the sum, N, of and Lj,... 

The diagonal elements of the matrix [Eqs. (31) and (32)], actually being an effective operator that acts onto the basis functions Ro,i, are diagonal in the quantum number I as well. The factors exp( 2iAct)) [Eqs. (27)] determine the selection rule for the off-diagonal elements of this matrix in the vibrational basis—they couple the basis functions with different I values with one another (i.e., with I — l A). 

It follows that the only possible values for la + Ip are S A and the computation of vibronic levels can be carried out for each K block separately. Matrix elements of the electronic operator diagonal with respect to the electronic basis [first of Eqs. (60)], and the matrix elements of T are diagonal with respect to the quantum number I = la + Ip. The off-diagonal elements of [second and third of Eqs. (60)] connect the basis functions with I — la + Ip and I — l + l — l 2A. 

The zeroth-order Hamiltonian and the spin-orbit part of the perturbation are diagonal with respect to the quantum numbers K, E, P, Uj, It, Uc, and Ic-The terms of H involving the parameters aj, ac, and bo aie diagonal with respect to both the Ij and Ic quantum numbers, while the f>2 term connects with one another the basis functions with I j = Ij 2, 4- 2. The c terms... 

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