Obtaining the Electron Angular Momentum Coupling Spectroscopic Terms, jj

Abstract

A systematic procedure is developed to obtain the electron angular momentum coupling (jj) spectroscopic terms, which is based on building microstates in which each individual electron is placed in a different mj “orbital”. This approach is similar to that used to obtain the spectroscopic terms under the Russell−Saunders (LS) coupling scheme when the electrons are placed on ml orbitals. Using the procedure presented in this article, the students gain greater familiarity with jj coupling, which is a better description for the atomic electronic states of heavy atoms and many excited states of heavy and light atoms. This approach reinforces the conceptual understanding of the meaning of the spectroscopic terms in broader terms.