A complete quantum mechanical treatment for Coulomb excitation is presented. Angular correlations as well as total cross section are developed. The reduction to a form suitable for computation of the radial Coulomb integrals which are needed to evaluate the transition matrix elements is discussed in detail. The relation of the quantum mechanical treatment to the classical treatment is established, and it is shown that the results may be presented as the classical result plus a quantum mechanical correction.

• Received 4 May 1955

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRev.100.376