Quantum Mechanics Basic Concepts

Abstract

Quantum mechanics is the theory of physical phenomena at the atomic and subatomic levels. Historically, quantum mechanics began and took the modern form in the first quarter of the 20th century. The appearance of quantum mechanics was due to the fact that at the end of the last and beginning of our century, there arose a series of experimental facts that could not only get explanations in classical physics but were in contradiction with it: Planetary model [ 1–4 ] : The existence of the planetary atom itself (Rutherford-Bohr model presented by Niels Bohr and Ernest Rutherford in 1913) was in contradiction with classical mechanics and electrodynamics. After the experiments of Rutherford on the planetary model of the atom (the electron revolves about the nucleus), it was necessary to examine the experimental facts on the one hand and theory on the other. From classical mechanics, an electron moving in a definite orbit around the nucleus is constantly accelerated. Knowledge of a classical charged particle shows that when it is accelerated, it emits radiation. From electrodynamics, it is well known that any charged particle with an accelerated motion should emit an electromagnetic wave. So an electron moving around the nucleus would continuously emit radiation and consequently become less energetic. This is because as the electron emits the electromagnetic wave, it loses energy and, consequently, its kinetic energy as well as its velocity reduces. Consequently, from the laws of classical physics and electrodynamics, the radius of the orbit would constantly shrink in size until the electron falls into the atomic nucleus. But this does not take place. Blackbody radiation [ 5–8 ] : Theoretical calculations of blackbody radiation spectrum assume electromagnetic radiation to be a wave and so can exchange energy in any continuous amount and yields a result that does not match with experimental facts. The assumption of Planck shows that electromagnetic radiation of frequency https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> ν https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781003273073/d236e21f-f9f6-4e42-b186-ef1c50f0a68b/content/math1_1.tif" xmlns:xlink=" https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink "/> to exchange energy only in units of https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> ℏ ν https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781003273073/d236e21f-f9f6-4e42-b186-ef1c50f0a68b/content/math1_2.tif" xmlns:xlink=" https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink "/> . Planck's calculations agree very well with experimental facts. The Planck constant has the value: 1.1 https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> h = 2 π ℏ = 2 π × 1.054 × 10 - 27 e r g - s e c https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781003273073/d236e21f-f9f6-4e42-b186-ef1c50f0a68b/content/math1_3.tif" xmlns:xlink=" https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink "/> Photo-electric effect : The release of electrons from a metal by irradiating it with electromagnetic waves or light is called photo-electric effect [ 9–11 ] . To free an electron from a metal, the light radiation should have a frequency greater than a critical frequency, a characteristic of the metal, while light radiation frequency lower than this critical frequency would not lead to the photo-electric effect. This was shown by Einstein to be consistent with Planck's hypothesis, considering light with frequency https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> ν https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781003273073/d236e21f-f9f6-4e42-b186-ef1c50f0a68b/content/math1_4.tif" xmlns:xlink=" https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink "/> to only exchange energy in the amount https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> h ν https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781003273073/d236e21f-f9f6-4e42-b186-ef1c50f0a68b/content/math1_5.tif" xmlns:xlink=" https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink "/> . In order for the electrons to be released from the metal, the following energy is needed: 1.2 https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> Ε = h ν = h ν 0 + Τ k i n , Τ k i n = h ν - ν 0 ≥ 0 https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781003273073/d236e21f-f9f6-4e42-b186-ef1c50f0a68b/content/math1_6.tif" xmlns:xlink=" https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink "/> 4 Here, https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> h ν 0 https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781003273073/d236e21f-f9f6-4e42-b186-ef1c50f0a68b/content/math1_7.tif" xmlns:xlink=" https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink "/> is the binding energy for the given metal and https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> Τ k i n https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781003273073/d236e21f-f9f6-4e42-b186-ef1c50f0a68b/content/math1_8.tif" xmlns:xlink=" https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink "/> is the kinetic energy of the electrons. From the above relation, it is not possible to have any emission of the electrons unless 1.3 https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> ν ≥ ν 0 https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781003273073/d236e21f-f9f6-4e42-b186-ef1c50f0a68b/content/math1_9.tif" xmlns:xlink=" https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink "/> From the blackbody radiation and photo-electric effect, it is seen that though classically light is a wave, it has a particle nature which is confirmed by the Compton effect. All these can only be explained by quantum mechanics. Compton effect : The scattering of light by an electron can only be explained if a photon of frequency https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> ν https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781003273073/d236e21f-f9f6-4e42-b186-ef1c50f0a68b/content/math1_10.tif" xmlns:xlink=" https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink "/> is considered as a particle moving with energy, https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> Ε https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781003273073/d236e21f-f9f6-4e42-b186-ef1c50f0a68b/content/math1_11.tif" xmlns:xlink=" https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink "/> , and momentum, https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> p https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781003273073/d236e21f-f9f6-4e42-b186-ef1c50f0a68b/content/math1_12.tif" xmlns:xlink=" https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink "/> : 1.4 https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> Ε = h ν , p = p → = Ε c = h ν c = h λ https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781003273073/d236e21f-f9f6-4e42-b186-ef1c50f0a68b/content/math1_13.tif" xmlns:xlink=" https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink "/> Here, https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> c https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781003273073/d236e21f-f9f6-4e42-b186-ef1c50f0a68b/content/math1_14.tif" xmlns:xlink=" https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink "/> and https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> λ https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781003273073/d236e21f-f9f6-4e42-b186-ef1c50f0a68b/content/math1_15.tif" xmlns:xlink=" https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink "/> are, respectively, the speed and wavelength of light wave. From relativistic mechanics, mass and energy may be considered as a manifestation of the same thing. The energy of a particle can be expressed through its momentum as: 1.5 https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> Ε = p 2 c 2 + m 2 c 4 , p → = m v → v → = Ε v → c 2 , m v → = m 1 - v 2 c 2 https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781003273073/d236e21f-f9f6-4e42-b186-ef1c50f0a68b/content/math1_16.tif" xmlns:xlink=" https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink "/> Here, https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> m https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781003273073/d236e21f-f9f6-4e42-b186-ef1c50f0a68b/content/math1_17.tif" xmlns:xlink=" https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink "/> with https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> v → https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781003273073/d236e21f-f9f6-4e42-b186-ef1c50f0a68b/content/math1_18.tif" xmlns:xlink=" https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink "/> are, respectively, the rest mass and velocity of the particle. For the case of the photon, which is a particle moving with the speed of light, https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> c https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781003273073/d236e21f-f9f6-4e42-b186-ef1c50f0a68b/content/math1_19.tif" xmlns:xlink=" https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink "/> , if it equals https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> 0 https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781003273073/d236e21f-f9f6-4e42-b186-ef1c50f0a68b/content/math1_20.tif" xmlns:xlink=" https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink "/> , we have https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> m v → = 0 0 https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781003273073/d236e21f-f9f6-4e42-b186-ef1c50f0a68b/content/math1_21.tif" xmlns:xlink=" https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink "/> . The photon momentum has the value 1.6 https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> p = Ε c c 2 = Ε c = h λ https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781003273073/d236e21f-f9f6-4e42-b186-ef1c50f0a68b/content/math1_22.tif" xmlns:xlink=" https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink "/> So if we consider a photon as a particle, its rest mass should vanish (see details in references [ 12–14 ]). It is obvious from here that electromagnetic radiation has the property of dualism, i.e., it possesses the corpuscular and wave nature. Davisson - Germer experiment : The notion of the trajectory does not coincide with the experimental fact of the diffraction of an electron. The diffraction of the electron was theoretically foreseen by Louis de Broglie in 1924 (wave character of material particles) and experimentally founded by the American physicist Clinton J. Davisson [ 2 , 4 , 15 ] and the Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger (1887–1961) in 1927. Davisson and Germer in 1925 and also the British physicist G. P. Thomson (son of J. J. Thomson, discoverer of the electron) in 1926 showed scattered electrons from crystals and found diffraction patterns consistent with the interference of electrons having the de Broglie wavelength and similar to light interacting with a diffraction grating. G. P. Thomson [ 16 ] found diffraction rings produced by electrons passing through thin foils. Considering an electronic beam incident on a crystal lattice, we observe a diffraction pattern. As diffraction is a wave phenomenon, the electron having a corpuscular nature sometimes has a wave nature. Such observations lead to a general conclusion that all objects have both corpuscular and wave nature. The question on the wavelength associated with the particle was given by Louis de Broglie's hypothesis through the relation: 1.7 https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> λ = h p https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781003273073/d236e21f-f9f6-4e42-b186-ef1c50f0a68b/content/math1_23.tif" xmlns:xlink=" https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink "/> It is instructive to note that experimentation on atomic systems shows that measured quantities achieve quantized values unlike classical mechanics’ predictions, where observables achieve continuous values. 5 Experimentation on dualism : For the dual nature of the particles, sometimes the particles have a corpuscular as well as a wave nature. Classically, particles follow definite trajectories and so do not show interference, whereas waves show interference. These and other experimental facts gave birth to quantum mechanics.