1 1/16/2014

General Physics (PHY 2140)

Lecture 34
Modern Physics

Atomic Physics
De Broglie wavelength in the atom
Quantum mechanics

Chapter 28
http://www.physics.wayne.edu/~apetrov/PHY2140/
2 1/16/2014
Lightning Review
Last lecture:

1. Atomic physics
Bohrs model of atom

Review Problem: Suppose that the electron in the hydrogen atom obeyed
classical rather then quantum mechanics. Why should such an atom emit a
continuous rather then discrete spectrum?
i f
E E hf =
, 1, 2, 3,...
e
m vr n n = =
2 2
1 1 1
H
f i
R
n n
| |
=
|
|
\ .
3 1/16/2014
Recall Bohrs Assumptions
Only certain electron orbits are stable. Radiation is
emitted by the atom when the electron jumps from a
more energetic initial state to a lower state



The size of the allowed electron orbits is determined by a
condition imposed on the electrons orbital angular
momentum

i f
E E hf =
, 1, 2, 3,...
e
m vr n n = =
Why is that?
4 1/16/2014
Modifications of the Bohr Theory Elliptical
Orbits
Sommerfeld extended the results to include elliptical orbits
Retained the principle quantum number, n
Added the orbital quantum number,
ranges from 0 to n-1 in integer steps
All states with the same principle quantum number are said to form
a shell
The states with given values of n and are said to form a subshell
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Modifications of the Bohr Theory Zeeman
Effect and fine structure
Another modification was needed to account for the Zeeman effect
The Zeeman effect is the splitting of spectral lines in a strong magnetic field
This indicates that the energy of an electron is slightly modified when the
atom is immersed in a magnetic field
A new quantum number, m

, called the orbital magnetic quantum number,
had to be introduced
m

can vary from - to + in integer steps

High resolution spectrometers show that spectral lines are, in fact, two
very closely spaced lines, even in the absence of a magnetic field
This splitting is called fine structure
Another quantum number, m
s
, called the spin magnetic quantum number,
was introduced to explain the fine structure

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28.5 de Broglie Waves
One of Bohrs postulates was the angular momentum of
the electron is quantized, but there was no explanation
why the restriction occurred
de Broglie assumed that the electron orbit would be
stable only if it contained an integral number of electron
wavelengths
7 1/16/2014
de Broglie Waves in the Hydrogen Atom
In this example, three complete
wavelengths are contained in the
circumference of the orbit
In general, the circumference
must equal some integer number
of wavelengths


but , so
2 , 1, 2, 3,... r n t = =
e
h
m v
=
, 1, 2, 3,...
e
m vr n n = =
This was the first convincing argument that the wave nature of
matter was at the heart of the behavior of atomic systems
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QUICK QUIZ 1
In an analysis relating Bohr's theory to the de Broglie wavelength of
electrons, when an electron moves from the n = 1 level to the n = 3
level, the circumference of its orbit becomes 9 times greater. This
occurs because (a) there are 3 times as many wavelengths in the
new orbit, (b) there are 3 times as many wavelengths and each
wavelength is 3 times as long, (c) the wavelength of the electron
becomes 9 times as long, or (d) the electron is moving 9 times as
fast.
(b). The circumference of the orbit is n times the de Broglie
wavelength (2r = n), so there are three times as many
wavelengths in the n = 3 level as in the n = 1 level.
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28.6 Quantum Mechanics and the Hydrogen
Atom
One of the first great achievements of quantum mechanics was the
solution of the wave equation for the hydrogen atom
The significance of quantum mechanics is that the quantum
numbers and the restrictions placed on their values arise directly
from the mathematics and not from any assumptions made to make
the theory agree with experiments
10 1/16/2014
Problem: wavelength of the electron
Determine the wavelength of an electron in
the third excited orbit of the hydrogen
atom, with n = 4.
11 1/16/2014
Determine the wavelength of an electron in the third excited orbit of the hydrogen
atom, with n = 4.
Given:

n = 4





Find:

e
= ?
Recall that de Broglies wavelength of electron
depends on its momentum, = h/(m
e
v). Let us find it,
,
e n e
n
n
m vr n so m v
r
= =
Recall that
( )
2
0
0
,
2
n e
h
r n a so m v
a n t
= =
Thus,
( ) ( )
0
2 8 0.0529 1.33
e
h
a n nm nm
m v
t t = = = =
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Quantum Number Summary
The values of n can increase from 1 in integer steps
The values of can range from 0 to n-1 in integer steps
The values of m

can range from - to in integer steps
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QUICK QUIZ 2
How many possible orbital states are there for
(a) the n = 3 level of hydrogen? (b) the n = 4 level?
The quantum numbers associated with orbital states are n, , and m

. For a specified
value of n, the allowed values of range from 0 to n 1. For each value of , there
are (2 + 1) possible values of m

.

(a) If n = 3, then = 0, 1, or 2. The number of possible orbital states is then
[2(0) + 1] + [2(1) + 1] + [2(2) + 1] = 1 + 3 + 5 = 9.

(b) If n = 4, one additional value of is allowed ( = 3) so the number of possible
orbital states is now
9 + [2(3) + 1] = 9 + 7 = 16
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Spin Magnetic Quantum Number
It is convenient to think of the
electron as spinning on its axis
The electron is not
physically spinning
There are two directions for
the spin
Spin up, m
s
=
Spin down, m
s
= -
There is a slight energy
difference between the two
spins and this accounts for the
Zeeman effect
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Electron Clouds
The graph shows the solution
to the wave equation for
hydrogen in the ground state
The curve peaks at the
Bohr radius
The electron is not
confined to a particular
orbital distance from the
nucleus
The probability of finding the
electron at the Bohr radius is a
maximum
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Electron Clouds
The wave function for
hydrogen in the ground state is
symmetric
The electron can be found
in a spherical region
surrounding the nucleus
The result is interpreted by
viewing the electron as a cloud
surrounding the nucleus
The densest regions of the
cloud represent the highest
probability for finding the
electron
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