Chapter 6. The Dirac Hydrogen Atom
Published Online: 22 JUN 2009
DOI: 10.1002/9783527627486.ch6
Copyright © 2009 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA
Book Title
Relativistic Quantum Chemistry: The Fundamental Theory of Molecular Science
Additional Information
How to Cite
Reiher, M. and Wolf, A. (2009) The Dirac Hydrogen Atom, in Relativistic Quantum Chemistry: The Fundamental Theory of Molecular Science, Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim, Germany. doi: 10.1002/9783527627486.ch6
Publication History
- Published Online: 22 JUN 2009
- Published Print: 14 JAN 2009
ISBN Information
Print ISBN: 9783527312924
Online ISBN: 9783527627486
- Summary
- Chapter
Keywords:
- Dirac hydrogen atom;
- electronic motion;
- nuclear central field;
- Schrödinger hydrogen atom;
- total angular momentum;
- angular coordinates separation;
- Dirac Hamiltonian;
- radial Dirac equation;
- nonrelativistic limit;
- energy reference;
- wave functions;
- energy Eigenvalues;
- coulomb potential;
- finite nuclear size effects;
- momentum space representation
Summary
The simplest system of relevance for molecular sciences is the hydrogen atom. The quantum mechanical equation of motion for an electron in the attractive (external) potential of a positively charged atomic nucleus can be solved analytically. From these analytical results many important consequences follow, which make the description of many-electron atoms and molecules feasible (like the choice of proper basis functions for the expansion of molecular spinors).