Accurate energies of the He atom with undergraduate quantum mechanics

• August 2015
• American Journal of Physics 83(8):730-732

• DOI: 
• 10.1119/1.4921821

• Robert Masse
• Thad G. Walker

Abstract

Estimating the energies and splitting of the 1s2s singlet and triplet states of helium is a classic exercise in quantum perturbation theory but yields only qualitatively correct results. Using a six-line computer program, the 1s2s energies calculated by matrix diagonalization using a seven-state basis improve the results to 0.4% error or better. This is an effective and practical illustration of the quantitative power of quantum mechanics, at a level accessible to undergraduate students. (C) 2015 American Association of Physics Teachers.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280937829_Accurate_energies_of_the_He_atom_with_undergraduate_quantum_mechanics