Wave model

The wave model of the atom takes the basic idea of the Bohr model of the atom where there is a small dense nucleus surrounded by electrons, but the electrons are represented by a probability distribution instead of by discrete mathematical points. Thus they are often described as the "electron cloud".

External adresses

• Standing waves and atomic orbitals Quote: "...Electrons may or may not be particles, depending on when and where we look at them. When physicists tried to explain electron behavior in the atom, the equations - models - turned out to be describing standing waves. These equations - what we call wave functions or better yet, orbitals- had four variables which changed depending on which electron, in which atom you were looking at. These four variables are known as the four quantum numbers....".
• Atomic Orbitals
• The Orbitron a gallery of atomic orbitals and molecular orbitals on the WWW.
• Quote: "...Actually, in the H atom both the electron wave-structure and the proton have the same center. The electron's structure can be imagined like an onion - spherical layers of waves around a center. The amplitude of the waves decreases like the blue standing wave in the bottom diagram. There are no point masses - no orbits, just waves..."
• 8 August 2002, Electrons probe single atoms
• 24 October 2002, First light for attophysics
• 20 June 2001, Quantum spin probe able to measure spin states at individual atoms; could have application in quantum computing
• 16 Feb 2000 First-ever images of atom-scale electron clouds in high-temperature superconductors could help in design of new and better materials, alternate address.