The revolutionary dawn of quantum mechanics

By supposing that electrons move in elliptical orbits around an atomic nucleus, subject to certain quantization conditions, the BohrSommerfeld model provided aset of rules for selecting certain allowable orbits of a classical system (in the case of the hydrogen atom, an electron orbiting a proton),...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNature (London) Vol. 637; no. 8045; pp. 269 - 271
Main Author Camilleri, Kristian
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Nature Publishing Group 09.01.2025
Subjects
Atoms & subatomic particles
Electric fields
Electrons
Elliptical orbits
Energy spectra
Hydrogen
Hydrogen atoms
Magnetic fields
Nuclei (nuclear physics)
Photoelectric effect
Photoelectricity
Protons
Quantum mechanics
Quantum phenomena
Quantum physics
Quantum theory
Stark effect
Zeeman effect
Germany
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Summary:By supposing that electrons move in elliptical orbits around an atomic nucleus, subject to certain quantization conditions, the BohrSommerfeld model provided aset of rules for selecting certain allowable orbits of a classical system (in the case of the hydrogen atom, an electron orbiting a proton), delivering calculated values in agreement with the observed energy spectrum. The model had successfully explained the spectrum of the hydrogen atom - consisting of just one proton and one electron - and the splitting of spectral linesin the presence of an applied electric field (the Stark effect) or magnetic field (the ordinary Zeeman effect). Rather than constructing an atomic model based on the idea that electrons move along well-defined orbits in a roughly classical fashion, Heisenberg decided to develop an innovative theory of motion, a quantum mechanics' in which electrons could no longer be thought of as particles that move along continuous trajectories. After attending a colloquium in Munich, Germany, at which Schródinger presented his theory, Heisenberg complained to Pauli that the wave theory could not account for a host of quantum phenomena, including the photoelectric effect - the emission of electrons from a metallic surface whenitisilluminated - and the Stern-Gerlach effect, in which a beam of atoms was found to deflect in one of two ways when passing through
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ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687
DOI:10.1038/d41586-024-04217-0