The Hydrogen Atom

The Hydrogen atom is a classic system that tyopuically forms the center of a good undergraduate quantum sequence. I have heard arguments from people I respect that it should be de-emphasized in a graduate course, in favor of more modern applications. After some thinking on this topic, I have to disagree. It is much more than a question of historical import – it consolidates a lot of important ideas, and atomic physics remains a central part of modern quantum systems. In particular in brings in the material we just studied (representations of the rotation group) and leads naturally to the subjects of the rest of this course.