Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Many-body theory of atomic transitions

Journal Article · · Physical Review, A (General Physics)

Hartree--Fock equations for transition matrices are formulated as an extension of the ordinary theory of atomic spectra. These equations form a hierarchy which may be subjected to various truncations. Some of the truncations are identified as equivalent to different forms of many-body theories (random- phase approximation, time-dependent Hartree--Fock, many-body perturbation theory, etc.). Thereby we connect the modern many-body treatments more explicitly with the Condon--Shortley--Racah tradition of spectra theory and provide physical interpretations of various approximations. Spin and angular variables are factored out at the outset by angular-momentum techniques. The problem then takes the form of a system of integro-differential equations for radial wave functions, which affords conceptual and computational advantages. The correlations that are characteristically studied by many-body techniques are seen to be confined to short radial distances and could accordingly be treated by R- matrix procedures.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Chicago
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
NSA Number:
NSA-33-031213
OSTI ID:
4019801
Journal Information:
Physical Review, A (General Physics), Journal Name: Physical Review, A (General Physics) Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 13; ISSN PLRAAN; ISSN 0556-2791
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English