Radiation spectrum. Polarization and Stokes parameters. Radiation of moving charged particles. Lienard-Wiechart potentials. Thomson scattering and Rayleigh scattering. Bremsstrahlung, cyclotron and synchrotron radiation. Dipole and quadrupole radiation. Quantization of the electromagnetic field. Creation and destruction operators. Photons. Matter-radiation interaction. Elementary processes of emission and absorption. Feynman diagrams. Stimulated emission.
E. Landi Degl'Innocenti, "Spettroscopia Atomica e Processi Radiativi", Springer-Verlag Italia, Milano, 2009 (Cap. 1,2,3,4 and 11)
Learning Objectives
Knowledge acquired: Basic knowledge of classical and quantum electrodynamics and their applications to atomic physics and astrophysics
Competence acquired: Basic competences of the physicist on electrodynamics and its applications to atomic physics and astrophysics
Skills acquired (at the end of the course):
Skills in identifying the essential elements of a radiation process in astrophysical scenarios or in laboratory atomic physics. Skills in working out physical models of matter-radiation interaction and in verifying their validity
Teaching Methods
Total hours of the course (including the time spent in attending lectures, seminars, private study, examinations, etc...): 150
Hours reserved to private study and other individual formative activities: 100
Contact hours for: Lectures (hours): 50
Further information
Office hours:
On appointment
Type of Assessment
Exam modality: oral examination
Course program
Recall of Maxwell Equations. Energy and momentum carried by the electromagnetic field. Electromagnetic potentials. Gauge invariance. Radiation spectrum. Spectra of stochastic and periodical signals. Polarization of a monochromatic wave. Stokes parameters: definition and properties. Spectro-polarimetric measurements. Electromagnetic potentials due to electric charges and currents. Liénard and Wiechart potentials. Electromagnetic fields of a moving charge. Radiation emitted by a moving charge. Larmor's equation. Relativistic effects. Thomson scattering and Rayleigh scattering. Bremsstrahlung, cyclotron radiation and synchrotron radiation. Dipolar and quadrupolar radiation. Radiation diagrams. Quantization of the electromagnetic field. Creation and annihilation operators. The concept of photon. Matter-radiation interaction. The interaction Hamiltonian. The principle of minimal coupling. Kinetic equations. Fermi's golden rule. Elementary processes of emission and absorption. Feynman diagrams. Statistical equilibrium equations for the material system. The transfer equation for the radiation field. Stimulated emission.