Researchers capture image of hydrogen atom’s electron orbital for first time

[krash661]

i just came across this,

but it's interesting.

 

Researchers capture image of hydrogen atoms electron orbital for first time

http://www.geek.com/science/researchers-capture-image-of-hydrogen-atoms-electron-orbital-for-first-time-1556448/

 

Hydrogen Atoms under Magnification: Direct Observation of the Nodal Structure of Stark States

http://prl.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v110/i21/e213001

[MM6]

That's amazing.

[Delbert]

Looks like a probability pattern or cloud to me.

 

I understand the orbit idea is Rutherford's alternative to the plum pudding idea they had at the time. Whereby the only way they could visualise (say) a negatively charged electron not instantly crashing into the positively charged proton was to have it in orbit, in a similar way as Earth's orbit prevents its gravitational attraction causing it to crash into the Sun.

 

I think the ring shape or pattern you see is a probability cloud, within which an electron (for hydrogen) will be found, within the constraints of Heisenberg's uncertainty. It just happens to be a doughnut shape, which looks like an orbit.

 

The orbit idea is a classical construct, which over time should decay like all classical orbits - end of the universe. It doesn't because it isn't.

Edited July 30, 2013 by Delbert

[rwjefferson]

what you see when you look into the eye of inertial pressure differential

 

ItS

peace

[Delta1212]

Looks like a probability pattern or cloud to me.

 

I understand the orbit idea is Rutherford's alternative to the plum pudding idea they had at the time. Whereby the only way they could visualise (say) a negatively charged electron not instantly crashing into the positively charged proton was to have it in orbit, in a similar way as Earth's orbit prevents its gravitational attraction causing it to crash into the Sun.

 

I think the ring shape or pattern you see is a probability cloud, within which an electron (for hydrogen) will be found, within the constraints of Heisenberg's uncertainty. It just happens to be a doughnut shape, which looks like an orbit.

 

The orbit idea is a classical construct, which over time should decay like all classical orbits - end of the universe. It doesn't because it isn't.

An orbital and an orbit are different things.