Some conspicuous successes of the Bohr atom and a serious difficulty

Abstract

Some consequences to the Bohr theory of extending the formulas for x-ray doublets to optical spectra.—The extension of the laws for x-ray doublets to ultra-violet spectra has given values of the screening constant in agreement with the Moseley-Bohr formula. This extension means a considerable simplification but it implies the identification of the LI, LII, LIII x-ray levels with the s, p2, p1 terms of optical series, respectively. This would make p2p1 correspond to 2122 orbits (whereas they are always both assigned to 22 orbits) and would also assign both s and p2 to the 21 orbits. In this case, the screening constant must, contrary to the natural assumption, be much more affected by orientation of orbit (inner quantum number) than by the shape of the orbit (azimuthal number). This seems to require either discarding the relativity explanation of p2p1 and LIILIII doublets and with it all relativity effects in electronic orbits or introducing a dissymmetry not heretofore contemplated in atomic models, abandoning Bohr's interpenetration ideas and his assignment of azimuthal quantum numbers.

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