Department of Physics and Astronomy: Publications and Other Research
Date of this Version
August 1978
Abstract
We derive a new form for the matrix element of the two-particle mutual spin-orbit interaction in the Breit-Pauli approximation. The complexity of standard tensor-operator expansion techniques is obviated by suitably decomposing the mutual spin-orbit interaction into products of spin and orbital angular-momentum operators, whose matrix elements in the lmisms scheme are obtained in a straightforward manner. Graphical representations are given for both the one- and two-particle spin-orbit interactions, thereby permitting the analytical evaluation by graphical techniques of the spin-orbit interaction between arbitrary configurations in any coupling scheme. The graphical procedure for evaluating these matrix elements is demonstrated for LS-coupled configurations having two nonequivalent electrons outside closed shells. Various properties of the two-particle mutual spin-orbit operator are easily illustrated using its graphical representation.
Comments
Published by American Physical Society. Phys. Rev. A 18, 354 (1978). http://pra.aps.org. Copyright © 1978 American Physical Society. Permission to use.