Radial Equation for the Hydrogen Atom

Norman Henry March

Caio Lima Firme

This chapter physical properties of the hydrogen atom and its Hamiltonian function as a particle in a spherically symmetric potential having a wave function as a product of the radial function and spherical harmonic function. Hereafter, it comes to two independent wave equations: the radial equation and the angular equation. After some derivation, it is shown that the angular equation is a product of the azimuthal angle equation and polar angle equation (as discussed in the previous chapter). The azimuthal angle equation is similar to the particle in a ring problem from the previous chapter and after some derivation the polar angle equation becomes an associated Legendre equation with well-known polynomials as solutions. Next, the solution to the radial equation is presented which becomes after some derivation an associated Laguerre equation with well-known polynomials as solutions and from this result is obtained the energy equation for the hydrogen-like atom. Subsequently, it is derived the normalization constant of the radial function. Afterwards, the numerical analysis of the radial equation of the hydrogen atom along with its corresponding Fortran code is presented. Finally, the hydrogen atomic orbitals equations and plots are depicted followed by the fine structure of the hydrogen (198 words).

Bambang Supriadi, Alex Harijanto, M Maulana +3 more

The simplest atom consisting of a proton and an electron is a hydrogen atom. The energy level and the probability of finding an electron in a hydrogen atom can be determined based on the function of radial wave. The function of radial wave of a hydrogen atom is influenced by the principal quantum number ( n ) and the orbital quantum number ( l ). Completion of the function of radial wave of a hydrogen atom in the principal quantum numbers( n ) 4 and 5 uses the time-independent Schrodinger equation approach in spherical coordinates, variable separation method and uses the associated Laguerre function. The normalized of the function of radial wave of a hydrogen atom R nl ( r ) at n = 4 produces four wave functions:R 40 ( r ); R 41 ( r ); R 42 ( r ); R 43 ( r ), whereas at n = 5 produces five wave functions:R 50 ( r ); R 51 ( r ); R 52 ( r ); R 53 ( r ); R 54 ( r ). The results of this research in the form of the functions of radial wave of hydrogen atom can be used to determine the behavior of electron in a hydrogen atom.

Owen L. de Lange, R. E. Raab

The radial form of Hylleraas’ equation for the hydrogen atom, Λl‖El〉=4ℏ4a−2‖El〉 (a=Bohr radius), is considered and it is shown that the operator Λl can be factorized. Hence ladder operators P±l are derived that are linear in the position operator r and are nonlinear functions of the momentum operator p. It is proven that P±l‖El〉 =2ℏ2a−1[1+(l+ (1)/(2) ± (1)/(2) )2 ×(2Mℏ−2a2E)]1/2‖E,l±1〉. In the momentum representation of wave mechanics the solutions to these equations are the radial momentum-space wavefunctions for the hydrogen atom. Thus a simple method of calculating these wavefunctions is obtained. The results complement the familiar operator solution for the hydrogen atom that is based on factorization of the radial Hamiltonian and yields operators that are linear in p and are nonlinear functions of r.