Texts on Quantum Mechanics all cover the electron’s magnetic dipole, or spin. However, texts on Electromagnetic Field Theory never mention it, and electromagnetic machines such as electron microscopes are designed without any reference to a magnetic dipole. No experiment has ever shown the presence of a permanent magnetic dipole in free electrons. All we have is Pauli’s assertion that blurring masks the experimental results. This paper, based on Field Theory, considers the alternative possibility, that free electrons have an induced rather than a permanent magnetic dipole, and demonstrates that the consequences of that alternative approach are to create a framework for an electromagnetic model of atomic behavior. This is a framework only. It identifies three separate pieces of work needed to create the full working model.
Texts on Quantum Mechanics all cover the electron’s magnetic dipole, or spin. However, texts on Electromagnetic Field Theory never mention it, and electromagnetic machines such as electron microscopes are designed without any reference to a magnetic dipole. No experiment has ever shown the presence of a permanent magnetic dipole in free electrons. All we have is Pauli’s assertion that blurring masks the experimental results. This paper, based on Field Theory, considers the alternative possibility, that free electrons have an induced rather than a permanent magnetic dipole, and demonstrates that the consequences of that alternative approach are to create a framework for an electromagnetic model of atomic behavior. This is a framework only. It identifies three separate pieces of work needed to create the full working model.
We investigate the electronic structure and properties of atoms exposed to a magnetic quadrupole field. The spin spatial as well as generalized time-reversal symmetries are established and shown to lead to a twofold degeneracy of the electronic states in the presence of the field. Low lying as well as highly excited Rydberg states are computed and analyzed for a broad regime of field gradients. The delicate interplay between the Coulomb and various magnetic interactions leads to complex patterns of the spatial spin polarization of individual excited states. Electromagnetic transitions in the quadrupole field are studied in detail thereby providing the selection rules and, in particular, the transition wavelengths and corresponding dipole strengths. The peculiar property that the quadrupole magnetic field induces permanent electric dipole moments of the atoms is derived and discussed.
First publication: 15 July 2025 This research introduces an experimental methodology capable of revealing geometrical structures corresponding to spherical harmonics within macroscopic magnetic fields , making visible field configurations that have never before been experimentally observed in the real world. Atomic orbitals represent some of the most recognizable geometrical structures emerging from quantum mechanics. They arise as solutions of the Schrödinger equation for the hydrogen atom and are mathematically described by spherical harmonics . In modern physics these structures are traditionally interpreted as probability distributions associated with the quantum state of the electron, rather than as spatial geometries directly observable at the macroscopic scale. In this work, a three-dimensional experimental visualization of structures isomorphic to atomic orbitals is presented for the first time. These structures are obtained through the detection and spatial mapping of magnetic field configurations using Hall-effect sensors. The experimental method employs a bipolar Hall sensor operating in dynamic scanning mode while maintaining a constant angular orientation relative to the magnetic source. This measurement configuration introduces a different observational framework compared to conventional representations of magnetic fields derived directly from Maxwell’s equations. When the magnetic field is explored by explicitly considering dipole-dipole interactions and by maintaining a fixed sensor orientation during spatial scanning , the measurements correspond to local projections of the magnetic field along a constant angular direction. The spatial reconstruction of these projections reveals three-dimensional field structures that exhibit a remarkable correspondence with the spherical harmonic geometries associated with the atomic orbitals of the hydrogen atom . These configurations do not normally appear in standard visualizations of magnetic fields, such as field lines or equipotential surfaces, because their emergence requires a measurement approach capable of highlighting the angular components of dipolar interactions. From this observation derives the title of the research. The structures observed in this work coincide with forms historically associated exclusively with the quantum solutions of the Schrödinger equation for the hydrogen atom. However, in this context they emerge as measurable geometric configurations of a macroscopic magnetic field , suggesting the existence of a structural relationship between these two physical descriptions. The research has also been deliberately structured to provide interpretations consistent with both classical mechanics and quantum mechanics , offering the reader multiple theoretical perspectives. By using the classical geometry of magnetic fields as an interpretative framework, several concepts typically associated with quantum mechanics acquire an unexpectedly intuitive and geometrically rational representation. This approach allows the exploration of possible structural connections between the probabilistic formalism of quantum mechanics and geometric patterns emerging from observable macroscopic physical fields , offering an alternative interpretative perspective on the relationship between classical physics and quantum phenomena. The work also includes a fully replicable experimental methodology for generating and visualizing these structures by scanning one or more permanent magnets using Hall sensors, effectively providing a procedure comparable to a form of three-dimensional magnetic tomography ("Magnetic CT Scan") . Official DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15936280 A Professionally Printed Edition is also available on Amazon: MAGNETIC ORBITALS
First publication: 15 July 2025 This research introduces an experimental methodology capable of revealing geometrical structures corresponding to spherical harmonics within macroscopic magnetic fields , making visible field configurations that have never before been experimentally observed in the real world. Atomic orbitals represent some of the most recognizable geometrical structures emerging from quantum mechanics. They arise as solutions of the Schrödinger equation for the hydrogen atom and are mathematically described by spherical harmonics . In modern physics these structures are traditionally interpreted as probability distributions associated with the quantum state of the electron, rather than as spatial geometries directly observable at the macroscopic scale. In this work, a three-dimensional experimental visualization of structures isomorphic to atomic orbitals is presented for the first time. These structures are obtained through the detection and spatial mapping of magnetic field configurations using Hall-effect sensors. The experimental method employs a bipolar Hall sensor operating in dynamic scanning mode while maintaining a constant angular orientation relative to the magnetic source. This measurement configuration introduces a different observational framework compared to conventional representations of magnetic fields derived directly from Maxwell’s equations. When the magnetic field is explored by explicitly considering dipole-dipole interactions and by maintaining a fixed sensor orientation during spatial scanning , the measurements correspond to local projections of the magnetic field along a constant angular direction. The spatial reconstruction of these projections reveals three-dimensional field structures that exhibit a remarkable correspondence with the spherical harmonic geometries associated with the atomic orbitals of the hydrogen atom . These configurations do not normally appear in standard visualizations of magnetic fields, such as field lines or equipotential surfaces, because their emergence requires a measurement approach capable of highlighting the angular components of dipolar interactions. From this observation derives the title of the research. The structures observed in this work coincide with forms historically associated exclusively with the quantum solutions of the Schrödinger equation for the hydrogen atom. However, in this context they emerge as measurable geometric configurations of a macroscopic magnetic field , suggesting the existence of a structural relationship between these two physical descriptions. The research has also been deliberately structured to provide interpretations consistent with both classical mechanics and quantum mechanics , offering the reader multiple theoretical perspectives. By using the classical geometry of magnetic fields as an interpretative framework, several concepts typically associated with quantum mechanics acquire an unexpectedly intuitive and geometrically rational representation. This approach allows the exploration of possible structural connections between the probabilistic formalism of quantum mechanics and geometric patterns emerging from observable macroscopic physical fields , offering an alternative interpretative perspective on the relationship between classical physics and quantum phenomena. The work also includes a fully replicable experimental methodology for generating and visualizing these structures by scanning one or more permanent magnets using Hall sensors, effectively providing a procedure comparable to a form of three-dimensional magnetic tomography ("Magnetic CT Scan") . Official DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15936280 A Professionally Printed Edition is also available on Amazon: MAGNETIC ORBITALS
First publication: 15 July 2025 This research introduces an experimental methodology capable of revealing geometrical structures corresponding to spherical harmonics within macroscopic magnetic fields , making visible field configurations that have never before been experimentally observed in the real world. Atomic orbitals represent some of the most recognizable geometrical structures emerging from quantum mechanics. They arise as solutions of the Schrödinger equation for the hydrogen atom and are mathematically described by spherical harmonics . In modern physics these structures are traditionally interpreted as probability distributions associated with the quantum state of the electron, rather than as spatial geometries directly observable at the macroscopic scale. In this work, a three-dimensional experimental visualization of structures isomorphic to atomic orbitals is presented for the first time. These structures are obtained through the detection and spatial mapping of magnetic field configurations using Hall-effect sensors. The experimental method employs a bipolar Hall sensor operating in dynamic scanning mode while maintaining a constant angular orientation relative to the magnetic source. This measurement configuration introduces a different observational framework compared to conventional representations of magnetic fields derived directly from Maxwell’s equations. When the magnetic field is explored by explicitly considering dipole-dipole interactions and by maintaining a fixed sensor orientation during spatial scanning , the measurements correspond to local projections of the magnetic field along a constant angular direction. The spatial reconstruction of these projections reveals three-dimensional field structures that exhibit a remarkable correspondence with the spherical harmonic geometries associated with the atomic orbitals of the hydrogen atom . These configurations do not normally appear in standard visualizations of magnetic fields, such as field lines or equipotential surfaces, because their emergence requires a measurement approach capable of highlighting the angular components of dipolar interactions. From this observation derives the title of the research. The structures observed in this work coincide with forms historically associated exclusively with the quantum solutions of the Schrödinger equation for the hydrogen atom. However, in this context they emerge as measurable geometric configurations of a macroscopic magnetic field , suggesting the existence of a structural relationship between these two physical descriptions. The research has also been deliberately structured to provide interpretations consistent with both classical mechanics and quantum mechanics , offering the reader multiple theoretical perspectives. By using the classical geometry of magnetic fields as an interpretative framework, several concepts typically associated with quantum mechanics acquire an unexpectedly intuitive and geometrically rational representation. This approach allows the exploration of possible structural connections between the probabilistic formalism of quantum mechanics and geometric patterns emerging from observable macroscopic physical fields , offering an alternative interpretative perspective on the relationship between classical physics and quantum phenomena. The work also includes a fully replicable experimental methodology for generating and visualizing these structures by scanning one or more permanent magnets using Hall sensors, effectively providing a procedure comparable to a form of three-dimensional magnetic tomography ("Magnetic CT Scan") . Official DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15936280 A Professionally Printed Edition is also available on Amazon: MAGNETIC ORBITALS
First publication: 15 July 2025 This research introduces an experimental methodology capable of revealing geometrical structures corresponding to spherical harmonics within macroscopic magnetic fields , making visible field configurations that have never before been experimentally observed in the real world. Atomic orbitals represent some of the most recognizable geometrical structures emerging from quantum mechanics. They arise as solutions of the Schrödinger equation for the hydrogen atom and are mathematically described by spherical harmonics . In modern physics these structures are traditionally interpreted as probability distributions associated with the quantum state of the electron, rather than as spatial geometries directly observable at the macroscopic scale. In this work, a three-dimensional experimental visualization of structures isomorphic to atomic orbitals is presented for the first time. These structures are obtained through the detection and spatial mapping of magnetic field configurations using Hall-effect sensors. The experimental method employs a bipolar Hall sensor operating in dynamic scanning mode while maintaining a constant angular orientation relative to the magnetic source. This measurement configuration introduces a different observational framework compared to conventional representations of magnetic fields derived directly from Maxwell’s equations. When the magnetic field is explored by explicitly considering dipole-dipole interactions and by maintaining a fixed sensor orientation during spatial scanning , the measurements correspond to local projections of the magnetic field along a constant angular direction. The spatial reconstruction of these projections reveals three-dimensional field structures that exhibit a remarkable correspondence with the spherical harmonic geometries associated with the atomic orbitals of the hydrogen atom . These configurations do not normally appear in standard visualizations of magnetic fields, such as field lines or equipotential surfaces, because their emergence requires a measurement approach capable of highlighting the angular components of dipolar interactions. From this observation derives the title of the research. The structures observed in this work coincide with forms historically associated exclusively with the quantum solutions of the Schrödinger equation for the hydrogen atom. However, in this context they emerge as measurable geometric configurations of a macroscopic magnetic field , suggesting the existence of a structural relationship between these two physical descriptions. The research has also been deliberately structured to provide interpretations consistent with both classical mechanics and quantum mechanics , offering the reader multiple theoretical perspectives. By using the classical geometry of magnetic fields as an interpretative framework, several concepts typically associated with quantum mechanics acquire an unexpectedly intuitive and geometrically rational representation. This approach allows the exploration of possible structural connections between the probabilistic formalism of quantum mechanics and geometric patterns emerging from observable macroscopic physical fields , offering an alternative interpretative perspective on the relationship between classical physics and quantum phenomena. The work also includes a fully replicable experimental methodology for generating and visualizing these structures by scanning one or more permanent magnets using Hall sensors, effectively providing a procedure comparable to a form of three-dimensional magnetic tomography ("Magnetic CT Scan") . Official DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15936280 A Professionally Printed Edition is also available on Amazon: MAGNETIC ORBITALS
In 1932 Pauli and Bohr declared that electromagnetic fields cannot be used to separate electrons according to their spin. A Stern–Gerlach magnet can split atomic beams into beams with different polarizations, but the Lorentz force blurs the splitting for charged particles such as electrons. Brillouin suggested that electrons could be separated by applying magnetic gradients along the electron beam, but Pauli disagreed. He wrote in 1958: "It is impossible to observe the spin of the electron, separated fully from its orbital momentum, by means of experiments based on the concept of classical particle trajectories."