Recent content by jdedrick

  1. J

    Graduate The meaning of the sign of the wavefunction in electronic structure

    kanato & genneth: Thanks to both of you - the picture is a lot clearer now. I'll try to repeat my understanding to see if I've absorbed it correctly: Since wavefunctions are linear things, valid ones can be superimposed to produce other equally valid wavefunctions/orbitals, and in the case...
  2. J

    Graduate The meaning of the sign of the wavefunction in electronic structure

    RB98: Thanks for the welcome, and for jumping in on this question! The orbitals I'm referring to (do a Google search for "orbitron" for example) cannot be probability densities, since they have explicitly color-coded positive and negative regions. Also, you use the word "amplitude"...
  3. J

    Graduate The meaning of the sign of the wavefunction in electronic structure

    I’m hoping someone will help me fill in some holes in my understanding of the electronic wavefunction. I understand the electronic wavefunction to be a *complex valued* function of the positions of all electrons in the system. But, most descriptions of atomic orbitals refer to the various...