Who first solved the hydrogen atom in quantum mechanics?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the historical question of who first solved the hydrogen atom problem in quantum mechanics, specifically debating the contributions of Wolfgang Pauli and Erwin Schrödinger. The scope includes historical references and the nature of their respective approaches to the problem.

Discussion Character

  • Historical
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that it was Pauli who studied the operator algebra of the hydrogen atom, leading to an exact derivation of the spectrum, but notes that this does not include the wave functions.
  • Another participant supports Pauli's contribution, recalling that he was recognized for his work in the early development of quantum mechanics.
  • In contrast, a different participant asserts that Schrödinger also solved the hydrogen atom problem in 1926, providing a specific reference to his paper.
  • A participant mentions that Pauli's work was completed in October 1925, indicating a timeline for his contributions.
  • One participant argues that while Pauli was indeed first, the distinction between their methods is significant, comparing it to the different derivation methods used by Hilbert and Einstein for the Einstein field equations.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on who first solved the hydrogen atom problem, with some supporting Pauli and others supporting Schrödinger. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the primacy of their contributions.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference specific papers and dates, but there is no consensus on the importance of the order of contributions or the methods used by each physicist.

wdlang
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is it pauli or Schrödinger?

is there any original reference?
 
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afaik it was Pauli; he studied the operator algebra of the Hydrogen atom which can be mapped to an SO(4) algebra generated by the angular momentum and the Lenz-Runge operator, from which the spectrum can be derived exactly; however this does not include the solution fort the wave functions

1926, Zeitschrift für Physik, volume 36, page 336
 
I second Pauli, I remember reading a collection of papers from the beginnings of QM and iirc Pauli did it first.
 
Schrödinger did it in 1926 too, his paper was received January 27. E. Schrödinger: „Quantisierung als Eigenwertproblem I“, Annalen der Physik 79 (1926).
 
For Pauli I find "1926, Zeitschrift für Physik, volume 36, page 336-363" with the remark "Abgeschlossen [completed] I am Oktober 1925"
 
It was Pauli, but it doesn't really matter, because the two methods could not have been any more different. It's just like the case of the <Einstein field equations> of GR which were first published by David Hilbert, but the derivation method was different than the method of Einstein.

So the issue of <who was first> is really not that important.
 

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