Question about spectroscopic notation

[Kalimaa23]

Greetings,

I'm a bit confused about the notation for multi-electron orbitals.
For example, you have the notation

$$^{1}D_{2}$$,

which mean a singlet with S=0 L=2, J=2, right?

Now I've come across the notation (in Slater)

$$^{1}D_{2}^{0}$$

What's the deal with the extra superscript 0?

 

[Gokul43201]

The std. notation, as I'm sure you know is ^2S+1X_J, where X = S,P,D,F.

I've also come across notation that appends nl^x in front of the std. notation. Where this extra addition is simply the configuration of the outermost subshell.

I have no idea what notation Slater is using. But keep in mind that he is a physicist (and hence loathes spectroscopists despite feeding off their data ) and nearly all his books were written in the 60s (or thereabouts).

 

[Gokul43201]

$$^{1}D_{2}$$,

which mean a singlet with S=0 L=2, J=2, right?

This is correct. Until better info comes along, you can feel safe ignoring the 0.

 

[passingthru]

The superscript o after the subshell indicates odd parity. When the parity is even, there is no superscript. I hesitate to venture further, because it's a little fuzzy to me as well. I think that the odd parity results if you get a negative value when summing spins, like if you have a total negative spin. This thread is so old, I don't know if anybody even cares.

 

[LudusRex]

Does it have a specific meaning?

Hello there,

Thank you for your question about spectroscopic notation. You are correct in your understanding of the notation ^{1}D_{2}, which represents a singlet state with S=0, L=2, and J=2. The superscript 1 indicates the multiplicity of the state, in this case singlet. The subscript D represents the orbital angular momentum quantum number, which in this case is 2. The extra superscript 0 that you have come across in Slater notation refers to the number of electrons in the orbital. In this case, it means that there are 0 electrons in this particular orbital, also known as an empty orbital. This notation is commonly used in atomic and molecular spectroscopy to represent different electronic configurations of atoms and molecules. I hope this helps clarify the notation for you. Let me know if you have any further questions.