Quantum Mechanics – Where Schrödinger Solved the Radiating Problem of Bohr’s Model

atomic-physicsatomsquantum mechanicsschroedinger equationstability

One of the problems with Bohr's theory to describe the hydrogen atom, was that the electron orbiting around the nucleus has an acceleration. Therefore it radiates and loses energy, until it would collapse with the nucleus.

Now Schrödinger describes the electron as a wave function. His theory is able to describe all atoms (in contrast to Bohr's model), but how is the radiation problem solved? I understand that the wave has not an exact position in the time anymore. But the electron still "moves", so it has an acceleration anyway (because of vibrations or so).

Why is in this theory the electron not radiating anymore? And if it is, why doesn't the atom collapse?

Best Answer

In any proper quantum mechanical understanding of the atom, a bound electron does not have a position and follow a path (i.e. have a time-varying position) in the sense that it would have in a classical or semi-classical theory.

Instead the electron "has a state" or "occupies an orbital" (an orbital not a orbit!), and because there is not a path there is not an acceleration associated with the path.

This poses a problem when you ask "Well, does it radiate or not?" because at first there is no theory for interaction of electromagnetic fields with "orbitals". You need to develop a new theory (eventually QED).

So the answer is that Schrödinger didn't fully solve the problem. He just said, "it doesn't have an acceleration in a classical sense" and left it at that.

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