Atomic Physics for Everyone

Atomic Physics for Everyone: An Introduction to Atomic Physics, Quantum Mechanics, and Precision Spectroscopy with No College-Level Prerequisites is an open-access book by Will Raven (Department of Physics, Smith College), published by Springer in 2025. Assuming no college-level prerequisites, it builds intuition for atoms and light, natural light, atoms at rest and in motion, saturated absorption spectroscopy, quantum mechanics, angular momentum, electronic structure, hyperfine structure, isotope shifts and nuclear forces, and the Standard Model of particle physics — with learning goals, worked examples, and end-of-chapter problems.

This is a faithful MyST Markdown conversion of the printed book: all equations are live LaTeX, all figures are the original book artwork, and chapter references and appendices are included.

Contents¶

• Atomic Physics for Everyone
• Part I — Atom-Light Interactions
  • 1. Introduction to Atoms and Light
  • 2. “Natural Light”
  • 3. Atoms at Rest
  • 4. Atoms in Motion
  • 5. Saturated Absorption Spectroscopy
• Part II — Digging Deeper: Quantum Mechanics and Beyond
  • 6. Quantum Mechanics vs. Classical Physics
  • 7. Angular Momentum
  • 8. Electronic Structure and Atomic Notation
  • 9. Hyperfine Structure
  • 10. Isotope Shifts, Radioactive Decay, and the Nuclear Forces
  • 11. The Standard Model of Particle Physics
• Appendices
  • A. The Periodic Table
  • B. A Table of the Elements
  • C. Transition Rules

Attribution¶

© The Author(s) 2025. This book is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY-4.0).

Source: Springer — Atomic Physics for Everyone (DOI 10.1007/978-3-031-69507-0).