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I read about the quantum jump of electrons and in my books it is written that when an electron is hit by a sufficient amount of energy or EM wave, it jumps to the next orbit and then it cannot stay in that orbit and jumps back it the orbit to minimize its potential energy.

But why can the electron not stay or be stable on the next orbit, just like other electrons in that orbit?

And if it jumps back only due to minimize its potential energy, why didn't it jump back to previous orbit when it is not being hit by a EM wave? Then all electrons may jump back to previous orbits, again and again until they collide with nucleus, the atom would not even exist at all.

ACuriousMind
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user101134
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3 Answers3

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To answer it simply, electrons can only orbit in certain energy shells (these "orbits" are not at all like a classical orbit {they can really be considered the state vectors of a harmonic oscillator's wave-function}). Each electron will travel in the lowest potential energy shell that it can (Hund's Rules) , however, the number of electrons that can fit in a single shell is limited (Pauli Exclusion Principle). For this reason, electrons must orbit in higher than ground state shells, specifically valence shells

Stoby
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I think you are confusing energy levels with electron shells. It's only the valence electrons (the outer shell) that get excited to higher energy levels. When this happens all the valence electrons are excited together to the allowed energy levels. Only the outer electrons do this and do not involve the inner shells.

Bill Alsept
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The electron cannot fall to lower than its original state because all energy levels below it are filled (the Pauli Exclusion Principle limits the amount of electrons per shell)

To explain

Scenario 1: an electron called Electron A exists in the 2s path of a atom with both 1s paths full,but no electrons in higher shells than 2s; a photon hits Electron A and excites it to the 2p path; in order to reduce its potential energy, it then falls back into its 2s path emitting a photon

Scenario 2: an electron called Electron B exists in the 2s path of an atom with both 1s paths full, but no electrons in higher paths than 2s; Electron B seeks the lowest, unoccupied potential energy state; the 1s paths are "full" therefore its original 2s path is the lowest unoccupied energy level

As for a definition of "full" the Pauli Exclusion Principle states that no two fermions (including electrons) can have the same quantum numbers

This may help also: https://www.khanacademy.org/science/chemistry/electronic-structure-of-atoms/orbitals-and-electrons/v/quantum-numbers

Stoby
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