We will sometimes group the constants such that
∆E≡
A
̄h^2
S~·~I.
(The textbook has numerous mistakes in this section.)
24.5 Homework Problems
- Calculate the shifts in the hydrogen ground states due to a 1 kilogauss magnetic field.
- Consider positronium, a hydrogen-like atom consisting of an electron and a positron (anti-
electron). Calculate the fine structure of positronium forn= 1 andn= 2. Determine the
hyperfine structure for the ground state. Compute the energyshifts in eV. - List the spectroscopic states allowed that arise from combining (s=^12 withl= 3), (s= 2 with
l= 1), and (s 1 =^12 , s 2 = 1 andl= 4).
24.6 Sample Test Problems
- Calculate the energy shifts to the four hyperfine ground states of hydrogen in a weak magnetic
field. (The field is weak enough so that the perturbation is smaller than the hyperfine splitting.) - Calculate the splitting for the ground state of positronium due tothe spin-spin interaction
between the electron and the positron. Try to correctly use the reduced mass where required
but don’t let this detail keep you from working the problem. - A muonic hydrogen atom (proton plus muon) is in a relative 1sstate in an external magnetic
field. Assume that the perturbation due to the hyperfine interaction and the magnetic field is
given byW=AS~ 1 ·S~ 2 +ω 1 S 1 z+ω 2 S 2 z. Calculate the energies of the four nearly degenerate
ground states. Do not assume that any terms in the Hamiltonian aresmall. - A hydrogen atom in the ground state is put in a magnetic field. Assume that the energy shift
due to the B field is of the same order as the hyperfine splitting of theground state. Find the
eigenenergies of the (four) ground states as a function of the B field strength. Make sure you
define any constants (likeA) you use in terms of fundamental constants.