Do atoms produce synchrotron radiation?

Question

Since synchrotron radiation is created when charged particles are radially accelerated and electrons are definitely orbiting a nucleus (assuming a Bohr model), electron should then logically emit synchrotron radiation. However, if it does, then it lose energy and would unfortunately spiral into the nucleus, which we know doesn't happens. So, is it that atoms doesn't produce synchrotron radiation or other mechanisms are compensating the synchrotron radiation effect?

Answer 1

The Bohr model is wrong. You can get a lot closer with the Schrödinger picture, and when you do that you find the orbitals which are not the same thing as orbits: they are quantum states not classical paths.

The bound states (orbitals) of atoms are not time-dependent, so they don't radiate.

Well, that's absolutely true for the ground states. The non-ground states do spontaneously couple to the photon-field but they do so more or less discretely.

Answer 2

Its a good question - that seems to have no explanatory answer. So I will propose a new idea. if the electron is moving in a circle then it should emit synchrotron radiation. But if it is not moving in a circle (ie accelerating towards the centre of a circle) it will not emit radiation (photons).

So how to consider this problem? Well the obvious idea is that the electron is not orbiting the nucleus. It just seems that way - in the same way that planets orbit the sun. Maybe the same thing is happening? Does the nucleus and electron distort space-time on a microscopic level? if that were true then the electron would be travelling in a straight line (and so not radiate) but the distortion of space-time actually causes the electron to move on a curved path (eg a circle) around the nucleus.

I accept that electrostatic attraction should be greater than any relativistic space-time distortions but the space time distortion idea at least explains why there is no radiation from the orbiting electron.

Answer 3

Excited states of atoms gradually goes into less excited states and photons, eventually stopping at the ground of state of an atom. Such a cascade of spontaneous emission is a direct continuation of the synchrotron radiation as you shrink the orbit of an electron from synchrotron scale to atomic scale. There is not much fundamentally different at the atomic scale, except for the stability of the ground state and discreteness of radiation produced.