Introduction to High Resolution Spectroscopy 

Introduction Rotational Vibrational Miscellaneous

de Broglie Hydrogen Atom
  
 

To explain Bohr's model of the hydrogen atom, in which the electron is only allowed to orbit at certain distances from the nucleus, de Broglie postulated that there is a wave associated with the electron with wavelength:


where p is the momentum and h is Planck's constant. Only waves which fit exactly around the orbit are allowed. Waves whose length are not multiples of the orbit would interfere with themselves. This is linked to the allowed waves for a particle on a ring.

Alter the radius in the model below so that the wave until there is no gap between its end and beginning. At this stage, the wave will turn from red to magenta. You should be able to find several allowed radii.

Press and release the mouse button to freeze and restart the animation.

 


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