[Physics] Is the Bohr radius deprecated

absolute-unitsatomic-physicshydrogenphysical constantsquantum mechanics

The Bohr radius ($a_0$ or $r_{\text{Bohr}}$) is a physical constant, equal to the most probable distance between the nucleus and the electron in a hydrogen atom in its ground state. It is named after Niels Bohr, due to its role in the Bohr model of an atom. Its value is $5.29177210903(80)×10^{−11}\ \mathrm m$.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohr_radius

The Bohr model itself is generally considered to be deprecated. Is this still considered to be a more or less accurate approximation of the radius of a hydrogen atom? If not, what is the current thought?

Best Answer

In a word: No. The Bohr radius is a key concept and it is not deprecated.

In the modern outlook, the Bohr radius is the length unit of the atomic system of units, i.e., it is the natural length scale that comes out as a combination of the reduced Planck constant $\hbar$, the electrostatic interaction constant $\frac{e^2}{4\pi\epsilon_0}$, and the electron mass $m_e$. When doing atomic and molecular physics as well as quantum chemistry, all calculations are done in multiples of the Bohr radius.

And yes, it does not have a simple definition as "the radius of the ground-state orbit" that it does in the (deprecated) Bohr model, but that does not mean it is not useful.