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Atomic physics (or atom physics) is the field of physics that studies atoms as an isolated system of electrons and an atomic nucleus. It is primarily concerned with the arrangement of electrons around the nucleus and the processes by which these arrangements change. This includes ions as well as neutral atoms and, unless otherwise stated, for the purposes of this discussion it should be assumed that the term atom includes ions.
The term atomic physics is often associated with nuclear power and nuclear bombs, due to the synonymous use of atomic and nuclear in standard English.
However, physicists distinguish between atomic physics—which deals with
the atom as a system comprising of a nucleus and electrons, and nuclear physics—which considers atomic nuclei alone.
As with many scientific fields, strict delineation can be highly
contrived and atomic physics is often considered in the wider context
of atomic, molecular, and optical physics. Physics research groups are usually so classified.
Isolated atoms
Atomic physics always considers atoms in isolation. Atomic models will consist of a single nucleus which may be surrounded by one or more bound electrons. It is not concerned with the formation of molecules (although much of the physics is identical) nor does it examine atoms in a solid state as condensed matter. It is concerned with processes such as ionization and excitation by photons or collisions with atomic particles.
While modelling atoms in isolation may not seem realistic, if one considers atoms in a gas or plasma
then the time-scales for atom-atom interactions are huge in comparison
to the atomic processes that we are concerned with. This means that the
individual atoms can be treated as if each were in isolation because
for the vast majority of the time they are. By this consideration
atomic physics provides the underlying theory in plasma physics and atmospheric physics even though both deal with huge numbers of atoms.
Electronic configuration
Electrons form notional shells around the nucleus. These are naturally in a ground state but can be excited by the absorption of energy from light (photons),
magnetic fields, or interaction with a colliding particle (typically
other electrons). The excited electron may still be bound to the
nucleus and should, after a certain period of time, decay back to the
original ground state. The energy is released as a photon. There are
strict selection rules
as to the electronic configurations that can be reached by excitation
by light—however there are no such rules for excitation by collision
processes.
An electron may be sufficiently excited so that it breaks free of
the nucleus and is no longer part of the atom. The remaining system is
an ion and the atom is said to have been ionized having been left in a charged state.
History and developments
The majority of fields in physics can be divided between theoretical
work and experimental work and atomic physics is no exception. It is
usually the case, but not always, that progress goes in alternate
cycles from an experimental observation, through to a theoretical
explanation followed by some predictions which may or may not be
confirmed by experiment, and so on. Of course, the current state of
technology at any given time can put limitations on what can be
achieved experimentally and theoretically so it may take considerable
time for theory to be refined.
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Main article: Atomic theory
Clearly the earliest steps towards atomic physics was the recognition that matter was composed of atoms, in the modern sense of the basic unit of a chemical element. This theory was developed by the British chemist and physicist John Dalton
in the 18th century. At this stage, it wasn't clear what atoms were
although they could be described and classified by their properties (in
bulk) in a periodic table.
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The true beginning of atomic physics is marked by the discovery of spectral lines and attempts to describe the phenomenon, most notably by Joseph von Fraunhofer. The study of these lines led to the Bohr atom model and to the birth of quantum mechanics
itself. In seeking to explain atomic spectra an entirely new
mathematical model of matter was revealed. As far as atoms and their
electron shells were concerned, not only did this yield a better
overall description, i.e. the atomic orbital model, but it also provided a new theoretical basis for chemistry (quantum chemistry) and spectroscopy.
Since the Second World War,
both theoretical and experimental fields have advanced at a great pace.
This can be attributed to progress in computing technology which has
allowed bigger and more sophisticated models of atomic structure and
associated collision processes. Similar technological advances in
accelerators, detectors, magnetic field generation and lasers have greatly assisted experimental work.
Significant atomic physicists
- Pre quantum mechanics
- Post quantum mechanics
References
- Bransden, BH; Joachain, CJ (2002). Physics of Atoms and Molecules, 2nd Edition, Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-582-35692-X.
- Foot, CJ (2004). Atomic Physics. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-850696-1.
See also
External links
Classical
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