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Bob65
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I am a retired electrical engineer, now able to get back to studying what I really enjoy - mathematics and physics.
As a genuine old geezer, my modern physics knowledge, which was never very deep, is now way out of date. I purchased a copy of "Modern Physics", by Kenneth Krane, and have been studying it - extremely interesting, and very helpful. I had no idea how ignorant I really am.
My questions regarding molecular versus atomic quantum states for the electrons in a molecule are very simple compared to other questions I see on this forum, and are as follows:
1. Are there more than the four "normal" electron atomic quantum numbers (principle quantum number, usually designated n; orbital quantum number, usually designated by the letter l; magnetic quantum number, usually designated m_l; and spin quantum number, usually designated m_s), associated with the electrons in a molecule?
2. Has the Schrodinger equation been solved analytically for any simple molecules (say, diatomic hydrogen)? If so, where may I find a reference to these solutions?
3. Does the Pauli exclusion principle apply to all of the electrons in a molecule, or just to the "outer" electrons?
4. Where does application of the Pauli exclusion principle stop? Obviously, it doesn't apply to two isolated hydrogen atoms. But as the atoms are brought closer together, I suspect that it "begins to apply."
5. (Related to question 4 above) I have read about white dwarf stars, where degeneracy pressure, associated with the Paul principle, keeps the star from further collapse. Is there an effective "range" (physical length) over which the Pauli principle applies to electrons in a dwarf star?
Can anyone make a suggestion for a modern physics text that would go more deeply than Krane's book (but not so deeply that I couldn't understand it, having no more background than Krane's book supplies), and that might contain the answers to the above questions? I'm like to do further self-study, and would appreciate suggestions.
Thanks for any help offered.
Bob65
As a genuine old geezer, my modern physics knowledge, which was never very deep, is now way out of date. I purchased a copy of "Modern Physics", by Kenneth Krane, and have been studying it - extremely interesting, and very helpful. I had no idea how ignorant I really am.
My questions regarding molecular versus atomic quantum states for the electrons in a molecule are very simple compared to other questions I see on this forum, and are as follows:
1. Are there more than the four "normal" electron atomic quantum numbers (principle quantum number, usually designated n; orbital quantum number, usually designated by the letter l; magnetic quantum number, usually designated m_l; and spin quantum number, usually designated m_s), associated with the electrons in a molecule?
2. Has the Schrodinger equation been solved analytically for any simple molecules (say, diatomic hydrogen)? If so, where may I find a reference to these solutions?
3. Does the Pauli exclusion principle apply to all of the electrons in a molecule, or just to the "outer" electrons?
4. Where does application of the Pauli exclusion principle stop? Obviously, it doesn't apply to two isolated hydrogen atoms. But as the atoms are brought closer together, I suspect that it "begins to apply."
5. (Related to question 4 above) I have read about white dwarf stars, where degeneracy pressure, associated with the Paul principle, keeps the star from further collapse. Is there an effective "range" (physical length) over which the Pauli principle applies to electrons in a dwarf star?
Can anyone make a suggestion for a modern physics text that would go more deeply than Krane's book (but not so deeply that I couldn't understand it, having no more background than Krane's book supplies), and that might contain the answers to the above questions? I'm like to do further self-study, and would appreciate suggestions.
Thanks for any help offered.
Bob65