Nuclear Spin and Hyperfine Structure

Abstract

Assuming that hyperfine structure in spectral lines has its origin in the coupling of a nuclear spin with electron resultant $J$, a comparison between gross structure and hyperfine structure is made from the following relation, $\frac{\ensuremath{\Delta}{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{g}}{\ensuremath{\Delta}{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{f}}=\frac{{m}_{k}}{4i{m}_{e}}$. For those atomic systems for which the electron configurations show $\mathrm{LS}$ or $\mathrm{jj}$ coupling, the agreement with the above equation is quite as good as would be expected. For electronic configurations which do not show $\mathrm{LS}$ or $\mathrm{jj}$ coupling it is doubtful whether such a comparison of gross structure with hyperfine structure can be suitably made. From the meagre data as yet available, one is led to suspect that nuclear spin is due to the last electrons, protons, or both (most probably electrons) added to the nucleus in atomic construction. These electrons should, in accordance with the principles of the wave-mechanics, have a probability density spherically symmetrical about the nucleus. The difference between the electrons associated with the nucleus and the outer electrons is that the nuclear electrons carry with them in space quantization the total mass of the atom.