Quantum electronics: atoms, molecules, and their interactions

Atomic, molecular and optical (AMO) physics is the area of physics that deals with the intimate life of atoms and molecules, studying how those interact. As a result, it lies in the interplay between physics and chemistry, finding applications in astrophysics, gas dynamics, quantum information, condensed matter physics, and high energy physics, among others. This course is devoted to studying the fundamentals of AMO physics by exploring the basics of molecular and atomic interactions and their dynamics. In addition, different applications of AMO physics in emerging fields like quantum information and quantum simulations will be discussed. Here is the list of topics:

• Quantum angular momentum theory

• Selected topics in quantum mechanics

• Atomic and molecular spectroscopy

• Quantum scattering theory

• Ultracold quantum gases

• Rydberg atoms and molecules

• Cold and ultracold chemistry

• Quantum chaos

Recommended textbooks (optional):

Using different textbooks to cover various aspects of the same topic is preferable. In this way, students can observe other points of view and pedagogical styles, of course, with the goal in mind of further developing their intuition.

• V. K. Kersonskii, A. N. Moskalev, and D. A. Varshalovich, “Quantum theory of angular momentum” (World Scientific, 1988)

• P. F. Bernath, “Spectroscopy of atoms and molecules” (Oxford,1995)

• J. Pérez-Ríos, “An introduction to Cold and Ultracold Chemistry: Atoms, Molecules, Ions, and Rydberg” (Springer, 2020)

• C. J. Pethick and H. Smith, “Bose-Einstein condensation in dilute gases” (Cambridge, 2016)

• H.-J. Stöckman, “Quantum Chaos: An introduction” (Cambridge, 1999)

• L. D. Landau and E. M. Lifshitz “Quantum mechanics” (Butterworth-Heinemann, 2003)

• T. F. Gallagher “Rydberg atoms”(Cambridge,1994)