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Chapter 29

Atomic Physics

Book Version 3
By Boundless
Boundless Physics
Physics
by Boundless
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Section 1
Overview
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Planck's Quantum Hypothesis and Black Body Radiation

A black body emits radiation called black body radiation. Planck described the radiation by assuming that radiation was emitted in quanta.

Section 2
The Early Atom
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The Discovery of the Parts of the Atom

Modern scientific usage denotes the atom as composed of constituent particles: the electron, the proton and the neutron.

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Early Models of the Atom

Dalton believed that that matter is composed of discrete units called atoms -- indivisible, ultimate particles of matter.

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The Thomson Model

Thomson proposed that the atom is composed of electrons surrounded by a soup of positive charge to balance the electrons' negative charges.

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The Rutherford Model

Rutherford confirmed that the atom had a concentrated center of positive charge and relatively large mass.

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The Bohr Model of the Atom

Bohr suggested that electrons in hydrogen could have certain classical motions only when restricted by a quantum rule.

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Basic Assumptions of the Bohr Model

Bohr explained hydrogen's spectrum successfully by adopting a quantization condition and by introducing the Planck constant in his model.

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Bohr Orbits

According to Bohr, electrons can only orbit stably, in certain orbits, at a certain discrete set of distances from the nucleus.

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Energy of a Bohr Orbit

Based on his assumptions, Bohr derived several important properties of the hydrogen atom from the classical physics.

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Hydrogen Spectra

The observed hydrogen-spectrum wavelengths can be calculated using the following formula: $\frac{1}{\lambda} = R(\frac{1}{n_f ^2} - \frac{1}{n_i ^2})$.

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de Broglie and the Bohr Model

By assuming that the electron is described by a wave and a whole number of wavelengths must fit, we derive Bohr's quantization assumption.

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X-Rays and the Compton Effect

Compton explained the X-ray frequency shift during the X-ray/electron scattering by attributing particle-like momentum to "photons".

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X-Ray Spectra: Origins, Diffraction by Crystals, and Importance

X-ray shows its wave nature when radiated upon atomic/molecular structures and can be used to study them.

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The Compton Effect

The Compton Effect is the phenomenon of the decrease in energy of photon when scattered by a free charged particle.

Section 3
Atomic Physics and Quantum Mechanics
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Wave Nature of Matter Causes Quantization

The wave nature of matter is responsible for the quantization of energy levels in bound systems.

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Photon Interactions and Pair Production

Pair production refers to the creation of an elementary particle and its antiparticle, usually when a photon interacts with a nucleus.

Section 4
Applications of Atomic Physics
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Electron Microscopes

An electron microscope is a microscope that uses an electron beam to create an image of the target.

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Lasers

A laser consists of a gain medium, a mechanism to supply energy to it, and something to provide optical feedback.

Section 5
Multielectron Atoms
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Multielectron Atoms

Atoms with more than one electron are referred to as multielectron atoms.

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The Periodic Table

A periodic table is the arrangement of chemical elements according to their electron configurations and recurring chemical properties.

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Electron Configurations

The electron configuration is the distribution of electrons of an atom or molecule in atomic or molecular orbitals.

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Boundless Physics by Boundless
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Introduction to Quantum Physics
  • History and Quantum Mechanical Quantities
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Atomic Physics
  • Overview
  • The Early Atom
  • Atomic Physics and Quantum Mechanics
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  • Multielectron Atoms
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Nuclear Physics and Radioactivity
  • The Nucleus
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