- #1
DiracPool
- 1,243
- 516
I've always learned that putting energy-photons into an atom can bump an electron up to a "higher energy state", and that when the electron "falls" back down into a lower energy state, it then emits a photon, and so forth. What I never seem to find, however, in these descriptions are any specifics.
My question, say for a hydrogen atom, is 1) Is this higher energy state an electron gets bumped up to simply a generally higher energy shell? Say n=1 to n=2 or n=4? Or is there some specific orbital within that higher energy shell the electron prefers, like say the Px orbital in n=2 versus the Pz orbital...or, perhaps one of the D orbitals versus a P orbital if the electron is bumped to even a higher energy level. I guess, more specifically, does bumping up an electron in a hydrogen atom actually CREATE one of the p,d,f,etc. orbitals we know are found in larger atoms? Or, alternatively, is it just bumped into some temporary amorphous higher energy "state?"
The second related question is, correspondingly, does the electron have any preferred "path" down to lower energy levels via some orbital hierarchy-cascade? Thanks.
My question, say for a hydrogen atom, is 1) Is this higher energy state an electron gets bumped up to simply a generally higher energy shell? Say n=1 to n=2 or n=4? Or is there some specific orbital within that higher energy shell the electron prefers, like say the Px orbital in n=2 versus the Pz orbital...or, perhaps one of the D orbitals versus a P orbital if the electron is bumped to even a higher energy level. I guess, more specifically, does bumping up an electron in a hydrogen atom actually CREATE one of the p,d,f,etc. orbitals we know are found in larger atoms? Or, alternatively, is it just bumped into some temporary amorphous higher energy "state?"
The second related question is, correspondingly, does the electron have any preferred "path" down to lower energy levels via some orbital hierarchy-cascade? Thanks.