Annals of science
From orbits to orbitals. Early pictorializations of electron probability densities.
Tilman Sauer, Kristin Sellmann
Published: 202510.1080/00033790.2025.2582611
Abstract
The transition from atomic models of the old quantum theory to the wave mechanics of mature quantum mechanics entailed a change from electronic orbits to orbitals. The former look like planets orbiting a central star, while orbitals are electronic wa…
Preview only. Read the full abstract at the source