The present day ontology defining the electron is sadly outdated, illogical and does not fit in with what is known. For instance, take the idea that electron emission and absorption is a one-off event. The electron cloud around the nucleus, absorbs an incoming photon. (How does one wave absorb another wave?).
Here is the QM explanation: The interaction between the electron wavefunction and the electromagnetic wave (photon) is described by the interaction Hamiltonian. This term in the Hamiltonian represents the energy of interaction between the electron and the electromagnetic field.
While this mathematical explanation on how it is possible for one wave to absorb another wave might hold good, it doesn′t explain the actual behaviour of photons as being emitted at the rate of hundreds of trillions per second. Believe it or not this is how fast things have been found to work in the present day. Nor does the explanation deal with the question of recoil or the conservation of energy and momentum in the classical sense.
Does the electron cloud comprise all the electrons in a multiple electron atom ? What happens in multiple electron atoms, how does this shift from one energy level to another work? Then after some indeterminate time, the electron cloud drops back down to its original level and the difference in energy is emitted as a photon. (How does an electron cloud emit an energetic photon without recoil, surely a breach of the conservation of energy laws?).
Here is what quantum mechanics has to say: The added energy from the absorbed photon results in the whole cloud moving to a higher energy state. In classical mechanics, the emission of a photon by an atom would cause the atom to recoil due to conservation of momentum. However, in quantum mechanics, the situation is different. The electron cloud's change in energy levels doesn't involve a point-like particle emitting a photon from a single location. Instead, it involves the entire probability distribution of the electron's position changing state.
So OK, no recoil is present which in turn means that the laws of energy conservation turn a blind eye to what is a macro event, all well and good.
Quantum mechanics holds that photons do not possess frequency and the concept of frequency of a photon is only an abstract artifice to determine the energy of photon.
Here is what Quantum mechanics has to say: Photons exhibit both wave-like and particle-like properties. The frequency of a photon is associated with its wave nature, while the energy quantization relates to its particle aspect. In the context of electromagnetic waves, the frequency f corresponds to the oscillation rate of the electric and magnetic fields.
Compare the above sadly outdated quantum mechanics theory of the electron to the reality. Consider that modern day smart phones have the capacity to process data at the rate of several Gigahertz per second. Therefore, it is only natural to suppose that an electron with its infinitesimal size and the even smaller distances over which it has to oscillate, must oscillate at the rate of several hundreds of trillions of hertz per second. In fact for the electron not to oscillate and emit photons at these rates would be strange. Not only does this sound like reality it is reality. The working of the Caesium atomic clock and more recently the rubidium atom optical atomic clocks show that what I have stated is true. Quantum mechanics is sadly dated and has to give way to newer theories that are more in touch with what we have learned about the atom.
Here is the QM explanation: The interaction between the electron wavefunction and the electromagnetic wave (photon) is described by the interaction Hamiltonian. This term in the Hamiltonian represents the energy of interaction between the electron and the electromagnetic field.
While this mathematical explanation on how it is possible for one wave to absorb another wave might hold good, it doesn′t explain the actual behaviour of photons as being emitted at the rate of hundreds of trillions per second. Believe it or not this is how fast things have been found to work in the present day. Nor does the explanation deal with the question of recoil or the conservation of energy and momentum in the classical sense.
Does the electron cloud comprise all the electrons in a multiple electron atom ? What happens in multiple electron atoms, how does this shift from one energy level to another work? Then after some indeterminate time, the electron cloud drops back down to its original level and the difference in energy is emitted as a photon. (How does an electron cloud emit an energetic photon without recoil, surely a breach of the conservation of energy laws?).
Here is what quantum mechanics has to say: The added energy from the absorbed photon results in the whole cloud moving to a higher energy state. In classical mechanics, the emission of a photon by an atom would cause the atom to recoil due to conservation of momentum. However, in quantum mechanics, the situation is different. The electron cloud's change in energy levels doesn't involve a point-like particle emitting a photon from a single location. Instead, it involves the entire probability distribution of the electron's position changing state.
So OK, no recoil is present which in turn means that the laws of energy conservation turn a blind eye to what is a macro event, all well and good.
Quantum mechanics holds that photons do not possess frequency and the concept of frequency of a photon is only an abstract artifice to determine the energy of photon.
Here is what Quantum mechanics has to say: Photons exhibit both wave-like and particle-like properties. The frequency of a photon is associated with its wave nature, while the energy quantization relates to its particle aspect. In the context of electromagnetic waves, the frequency f corresponds to the oscillation rate of the electric and magnetic fields.
Compare the above sadly outdated quantum mechanics theory of the electron to the reality. Consider that modern day smart phones have the capacity to process data at the rate of several Gigahertz per second. Therefore, it is only natural to suppose that an electron with its infinitesimal size and the even smaller distances over which it has to oscillate, must oscillate at the rate of several hundreds of trillions of hertz per second. In fact for the electron not to oscillate and emit photons at these rates would be strange. Not only does this sound like reality it is reality. The working of the Caesium atomic clock and more recently the rubidium atom optical atomic clocks show that what I have stated is true. Quantum mechanics is sadly dated and has to give way to newer theories that are more in touch with what we have learned about the atom.
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