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So, I understand that quantum systems can be in superpositions of eigenstates. Why is it that we talk about electrons in hydrogen either being in the 1s orbital, or the 2s, or the 2p, etc.? Could I have an electron that is a superposition of two orbitals, say 1s and 2s?

I know from Griffiths that an incident light wave at the transition frequency causes the electron to be in an oscillating superposition, such that one has to time the measurement just right to catch the electron in a state of high probability with respect to the higher orbital. What if I turn the sinusoidal perturbation off while the electron is still in a superposition?

I've limited the question to hydrogen to avoid getting side tracked by possible discussions of electrons being identical particles, but if there is some interesting insight about multielectron atoms that would also be cool.

SSD
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The Quantum physics answer to this question would be that the nature's reality of matter is vastly difference from our usual perception of matter. In reality, matter is not - something solid, something at a specific location, and something with a specific momentum. Uncertainty principle states that momentum and position of a particle can not both be determined. So, the answer is those 1s, 2s, 2p orbitals are just a prop to give a rough idea about the reality which is more complicated and can perhaps best be obtained from Schrodinger's equation which would give probability distribution of finding the electron at different points in space. Note that different points will have some value of probability, some points higher values than others. So actually, the electron exists over many space locations at the same instant of time with varying probability values for different locations. This is because the reality of nature is radically different than what we using our eyes used to day to day scenario can perceive.

Soham
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