Do Individual Atoms Have a Moment of Inertia?
Most recent answer: 05/18/2013
- Devon (age 26)
Lansing
That's an interesting question. In one sense, the answer is yes. You can take the integral of the expectation of the electronic mass density times the square of the distance from an axis times to get a standard moment of inertia. (The nucleus contributes very little.) For the simplest atom, hydrogen, this calculation is quite easy. However, you can't calculate an angular momentum by multiplying that moment of inertia by a rotation rate because an atom is not like a rigid rotator. One reason is that in order to rotate the atom generally has to go into a new state in which that nominal moment of inertia is different. For example, hydrogen would have to go from the "1s" state to at least a "2p" state, and the electron is more spread out in that 2p state. Actual quantum states don't include a slightly rotating 1s.
Mike W. (temporarily not checked by Lee)
(published on 05/18/2013)