- #1
Jarek 31
- 158
- 31
- TL;DR Summary
- How to understand atomic orbitals from QM interpretations perspective?
We usually think about atomic orbital as wave(function), but it was created from e.g. electron and proton approaching ~10^-10m (or much more for Rydberg atoms), and electron has associated electric field.
This wavefunction also describes probability distribution for finding electron (confirmed experimentally e.g. https://journals.aps.org/prb/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevB.80.165404 ).
So what is electric field of atomic orbital - is it superposition of electric fields over positions of electron in wavefunction, or maybe just their mean?
I think e.g. van der Waals force requires that it is indeed superposition (?) - so how to understand it from QM interpretations perspective?
E.g. in Many Worlds Interpretation should we imagine that each World has electric field for one position of electron?
In this superposition electrons stay or move?
If stay, where does orbital angular momentum come from? If move, why no synchrotron radiation?
This wavefunction also describes probability distribution for finding electron (confirmed experimentally e.g. https://journals.aps.org/prb/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevB.80.165404 ).
So what is electric field of atomic orbital - is it superposition of electric fields over positions of electron in wavefunction, or maybe just their mean?
I think e.g. van der Waals force requires that it is indeed superposition (?) - so how to understand it from QM interpretations perspective?
E.g. in Many Worlds Interpretation should we imagine that each World has electric field for one position of electron?
In this superposition electrons stay or move?
If stay, where does orbital angular momentum come from? If move, why no synchrotron radiation?