THE POLARIZED SPECTRUM OF HYDROGEN IN THE PRESENCE OF ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC-FIELDS

The polarization properties of a beam of radiation interacting with a hydrogen atom subject to simultaneous stationary electric and magnetic fields are investigated, assuming no constraints on the direction of the two fields. The problem of determining the energy eigenstates is solved within the theory of Rayleigh-Schrodinger for the stationary perturbations (the contributions of the fine and hyperfine structure of the energy spectrum are also accounted for). Then the polarized transition rates (for absorption, spontaneous emission and stimulated emission) are evaluated according to the methods of non-relativistic quantum electrodynamics, adopting the density matrix formalism which allows one to deal with partially polarized states of the atomic and the radiation field systems. Typical results are then shown.