Undergrad How many orbits are in the hydrogen atom?

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The hydrogen atom does not have orbits in the classical sense; instead, it has energy levels or orbitals that are infinite in number. The stable hydrogen atom's electron exists in a single state known as the ground state, characterized by the quantum number n = 1 and l = 0. While there are infinite possible energy states available for a hydrogen atom, only one state is occupied in its ground state. The discussion emphasizes the importance of precise questioning in understanding atomic structure and quantum mechanics. Overall, the concept of orbits is a misconception when discussing the behavior of electrons in hydrogen.
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How many orbits are in the hydrogen atom?
 
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LSMOG said:
How many orbits are in the hydrogen atom?
As @dextercioby pointed out, the question is at best not correctly formulated.

If you are asking how many energy levels, or orbitals, there are in a hydrogen atom, then the answer is infinity. There is no upper bound to the principle quantum number n.
 
A stable hydrogen atom has its electron in only one state -- its ground state: n = 1, l = 0. The quantum number l is the quantum equivalent of the classical idea of the angular momentum of an orbiting electron. Electrons do not "orbit" in that classical sense.
 
LSMOG said:
How many orbits are in the hydrogen atom?

If you are asking for how many possible energy states that are available for a hydrogen atom, then the answer is "infinite".

If you are asking for how many energy states that are occupied by a neutral hydrogen atom in its ground state, then the answer is "one".

If you realize, after reading this far down the thread, that your question is rather vague, then you're starting to learn not only about physics, but also a bit on how this forum works.

Zz.
 

Thread 'Two equivalent statements of time reversal symmetric Hamiltonian'

Time reversal invariant Hamiltonians must satisfy ##[H,\Theta]=0## where ##\Theta## is time reversal operator. However, in some texts (for example see Many-body Quantum Theory in Condensed Matter Physics an introduction, HENRIK BRUUS and KARSTEN FLENSBERG, Corrected version: 14 January 2016, section 7.1.4) the time reversal invariant condition is introduced as ##H=H^*##. How these two conditions are identical?
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