1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 275: The Second Attack! Balmer's Formula! Bolton's Enlightenment!

The quantized atomic model solves the shortcomings of the planetary model.

But it's not a perfect theory.

For example, the current Bohr model cannot explain how electrons are arranged outside the nucleus.

However, this does not affect the shock it brings to physicists.

Because as long as the correctness of the concept of quantum orbit is confirmed, the problem of electron configuration will always be solved.

This is the relationship between the roots and branches of a big tree.

This is why Bohr started with the first question, because it is the basis of the second question.

Therefore, the key now is whether the core of the Bohr model, orbital quantization, is correct.

Going further, can the Bohr model solve practical problems?

Bohr has now invented a weapon, but he needs to test whether the weapon is powerful enough.

Although Bohr was a genius, he had only been exposed to physics for a short time and had little experience.

The advantage of age is reflected at this time.

The older you are, the more papers you have read and the more problems you know.

At this moment, the older generation of physicists finally felt their presence.

At least they know what unsolved phenomena there are in physics.

In other words, it has been solved, but the explanation is not good, and needs to be covered by a new theory.

For this reason, Bohr had to ask Ridgway for help.

With his mentor's terrifying amount of knowledge and vast network of contacts, it's much better than figuring things out on your own.

In the office, Li Qiwei couldn't help but laugh when he heard Bohr's question.

In real history, Bohr used his model to explain the emission spectrum of atoms at the suggestion of a German friend.

This was a great success and laid the foundation for the theory.

Now that Laue and others were openly questioning the Bohr model, Ridgway was just about to go to Germany, and he hadn't seen Professor Planck for a long time.

"Bohr, now you understand how difficult it is to publish a completely new theory."

"You're only just getting started."

Bohr smiled innocently and said, "I firmly believe that my model is correct."

Li Qiwei smiled and said, "Great! You are indeed worthy of being my student. You need to have this kind of confidence."

"I'll take you to Germany to visit Professor Planck."

"He has much more knowledge than me. Let's see if he can give us some advice."

Bohr was extremely excited.

This time, he finally communicated with Professor Planck not as a student.

Rather, they were treated as equal scholars, except that he was a junior.

Bohr was finally qualified to stand on the stage of physics and compete with those big guys, instead of just being a spectator in the audience.

On March 1911, 3, the news that Bruce and his beloved disciple Bohr visited Germany spread throughout the physics community in an instant.

Countless people talked about it.

"Bohr is indeed Bruce's favorite student. Let's start building momentum for him."

"Yes, you know, when Master Qian Wu discovered superconductivity, Professor Bruce didn't mobilize such a large number of people."

"Superconductivity is just a physical phenomenon after all, and it cannot be compared with the Bohr model."

"I recently heard that the United States is very aggressive in superconductivity research, even ahead of Europe, and they have achieved a superconducting temperature of 100K."

"Hey, it was because they coerced Professor Bruce to write down the valuable theory of superconductivity research. The Americans are really uncivilized."

"."

Ridgway and Bohr were warmly welcomed by Planck and others.

At the gate of Berlin University, Planck patted Li Qiwei's shoulder heavily, and the pride in his eyes was self-evident.

At this time, he turned to look at Bohr and said with a smile: "You must be the famous Bohr."

"I didn't expect that the last time I saw you, you could only record on the side."

"It's only been a short time, and you've become a star in the physics world."

"What a terrifying life."

"Your model has helped quantum theory a lot."

"Speaking of which, your mentor and I have you to thank."

"You have taken quantum theory to a new level and made it a truly systematic theory."

Planck was obviously in a very good mood. Bohr's theory was the strongest support for quantum theory.

If the Bohr model is proven to be correct, the status of quantum theory will never be shaken.

Most importantly, Bohr was Ridgway's student.

So the more Planck looked at the other person, the more he liked him.

If it were someone else, Planck would at most admire it, but would be far from liking it.

Later, with Planck's introduction, Bohr met young German physicists such as Laue and Born.

He had heard of these people before, and they were all truly gifted people.

Bohr naturally did not dare to underestimate it.

Laue extended his hand and said with a smile: "Congratulations, Bohr."

"The Bohr model is a truly great theory, and I believe it will shine with the brightest light."

Bohr said: "Thank you for your compliment, Laue. I came to Germany today to study."

"My theory needs further refinement."

Ridgway and Planck watched Bohr and Laue talking, with smiles on their faces.

In fact, in terms of age, Laue is one year older than Li Qiwei.

But in Li Qiwei's eyes, he always regarded these people as his juniors.

This is the identity difference brought about by status.

After the greetings, Ridgway took Bohr to the University of Berlin for a friendly academic exchange with German physicists.

The two sides conducted in-depth discussions on their respective research fields and gained a lot.

After the public communication ended, Ridgway took Bohr to communicate with Planck privately.

The main content is that he hoped that Planck could find a phenomenon that could not be explained before, but could be explained by the Bohr model.

During this period, Bohr explained his theory to Planck in detail.

After listening to this, Planck frowned slightly and fell into deep thought. After a long while, he said:
"Bohr, the core of your theory is actually quantized orbits."

“So, I think we need to think about it from the perspective of quantum discontinuity.”

“In fact, there is a field that is very suitable.”

"And it happens to be a strong area for us in the German physics community."

Bohr was breathing rapidly. He was indeed a veteran in physics. Did he have the answer so quickly?
Planck continued, "In fact, Bohr, you are too clever for your own good."

"At the first Bruce Conference, your mentor had already asserted that the core of modern physics is atoms."

"Once you understand the atom, all other problems will be solved."

"Whether it's radioactivity and X-rays in modern physics or problems in classical physics, they can all be explained."

"One of the problems in classical physics is the spectrum of elements."

"Why is the spectrum discrete, not continuous?"

"Where do the spectral lines come from? What is the mechanism of their generation?"

"If the spectrum of an element is really related to the structure of the atom, then is there any connection between the discreteness of the spectrum and the quantization of the electron orbit?"

"After all, their characteristics are discontinuous."

"And spectroscopy research is our strength in Germany. You might want to read more papers in this area."

boom!
Planck's analysis opened up new doors for Bohr.

It was like a bomb went off in his mind.

Bohr's notes, which were regarded as a bible and a treasure by others, were ignored by himself.

Yes, Bohr's notes record the classical physics problems summarized by Professor Bruce.

Among them, the spectrum of elements is one of the more important ones.

The phenomenon of separation is also mentioned.

At the time, Professor Lorentz even asked: "Can quantum theory explain the spectrum problem?"

That's why Professor Bruce allowed himself to study the relationship between quantum and atoms.

How come I forgot it?
Bohr was both angry and amused with himself, realizing that he was completely blind to the truth.

Actually, this cannot be blamed on Bohr.

At that time, no one would associate quantum concepts with spectral discreteness.

Because no one has the theoretical tools.

In the eyes of other bigwigs, what Li Qiwei meant by letting Bohr do the research was just an attempt.

It’s like a tutor tells a student that this direction is very interesting and he should try an experiment.

Therefore, not only Bohr could not think of it, but no one else could think of it either.

However, the Bohr model gave Planck hope. Perhaps it was the key to unlocking the secrets of element spectra.

At this moment, Bohr's breathing was rapid and he had more and more respect for Planck.

The older generation of physicists are indeed extraordinary.

They may seem unable to cope with the research of modern physics.

But that keen intuition and vast amount of knowledge will not disappear.

They are the living treasure trove of physics.

At this moment, Bohr no longer dared to underestimate any older generation physicists.

What's more, Planck is the top existence among the older generation, which makes him even more terrifying.

Facing Bohr, the student of his most proud student, Planck did not hide his secrets. He continued:
"But spectroscopy is very complex and messy, with many areas of coverage."

"I can give you a specific reference direction."

"I read your paper, and you used the example of the hydrogen atom when calculating the electron energy levels and orbital radii."

“That shows you’re smart.”

"The hydrogen atom is the simplest atom in the periodic table and has the simplest structure, making it a very suitable research object."

“So, spectroscopy is also the most studied field.”

At this point, Planck suddenly asked: "Bohr, do you know the Balmer formula?"

Bohr was stunned. He had never heard of this thing.

His undergraduate major was metal electronics theory, and his doctoral research topic was atomic structure.

Therefore, he rarely came into contact with spectroscopy, and he was even less clear about the Balmer formula.

So Planck began to explain Balmer's formula to Bohr.

Li Qiwei listened with great interest. Planck was indeed the top physicist in Germany.

This insight is simply unparalleled.

You know, Li Qiwei has experience from later generations, so he can handle it with ease.

But Planck was able to analyze the connection between atomic structure and element spectrum just by relying on his paper, which is simply amazing.

In real history, the Bohr model shocked the physics community because it perfectly explained the Balmer formula and further explained the generation and separation of spectra.

It can be said that Bohr directly put an end to spectroscopy.

As early as 1850, physicists had measured in detail the emission spectrum of hydrogen (at that time the existence of atoms was still controversial, so they were referred to as elements).

The so-called emission spectrum can be figuratively understood as atoms emitting light of different wavelengths.

The pattern in which these lights are arranged in sequence according to their wavelengths is the emission spectrum of the atom.

Absorption spectrum means that when light is irradiated to atoms, the atoms absorb some wavelengths of light.

The absorbed light, when arranged according to wavelength, is the absorption spectrum.

In the visible light range, the emission spectrum of hydrogen has four spectral lines.

The corresponding wavelengths are 410 nanometers (violet light), 434 nanometers (blue light), 486 nanometers (green light), and 656 nanometers (red light).

Physicists at the time were very curious.

Where do the spectral lines of hydrogen come from?

Why are the spectral lines discrete rather than continuous?

Later, physicists discovered that all elements have their own spectrum.

Of course, although the mechanism is not clear, this does not prevent physicists from using spectroscopy to solve problems, such as Kirchhoff and others.

But no matter what, the mechanism of spectrum has never been solved.

Despite the limitations of the times, physicists still tried their best.

For example, when studying the relationship between the wavelengths of the four spectral lines of hydrogen, can we use mathematical formulas to express it and find the rules behind it?

Legend has it that this work was not done by a physicist, but was solved by a Swedish high school math teacher.

His name was Balmer.

As a mathematics teacher, Balmer felt very bored after class every day, and there were no entertainment activities at that time.

His hobby is studying mathematics, but mathematics is too advanced for him to understand with his IQ.

So Balmer was very distressed, and he wanted to find some mathematical problems that were not difficult but interesting to study.

Just at this time, a friend of his suggested that he could try to calculate the relationship between the wavelengths of the hydrogen spectral lines.

That is the relationship between the four numbers 410, 434, 486, and 656.

Doesn’t it look a lot like the pattern-finding game of later generations?

Balmer instantly became interested, thinking that this was something he could do and that it was related to physics.

Unexpectedly, he actually found a mathematical formula after trying it.

λ=B×(m/(m－n)).

Where λ represents the wavelength, B is an empirical constant approximately equal to 364 nanometers, and m and n are positive integers.

巴尔末发现，当n=2时，m分别取3、4、5、6，代入公式后，计算的结果正好是656、486、434、410。

His talent is simply unrivaled, and he just managed to come up with it.

Balmer was bored anyway, so he thought one step further and wondered what would happen if n took other values.

For example, when n=3, and m is 4, 5, 6, or 7, what does the calculated result mean?

Unfortunately, Balmer was not a physicist. He did not delve into the physical essence of the problem, but directly published the results in the form of a paper.

Later, physicists were surprised to find that this formula was so powerful.

The wavelength calculated by Balmer when n=3 is actually the spectral line of hydrogen in the infrared region (the so-called infrared region refers to the range formed by light with a wavelength exceeding 750 nanometers).

It was discovered by German physicist Paschen in 1908 and named the Paschen series.

The four emission lines of the original hydrogen element are called the Balmer series.

At this time, Planck's voice interrupted Li Qiwei's thoughts, "Although the Balmer formula successfully predicted the emission spectrum of hydrogen."

"But until now, no one knew the physics behind it."

boom!
As soon as Planck finished speaking, Bohr felt as if the sky was falling and the earth was cracking.

Aren’t m and n in Balmer’s formula the orbital quantum numbers in the Bohr model?

m and n can only be positive integers, not corresponding to the orbital quantum numbers 1, 2, 3
“Oh my god, this is amazing.”

At this moment, Bohr was completely immersed in Balmer's formula.

He has already figured out how to perfectly interpret the physical meaning of this formula.

Planck was also surprised when he saw Bohr's look.

This child is smarter than he thought. It seems that the other party has the answer?
This is too exaggerated.

I still have no idea what's going on.

He couldn't help but look at Li Qiwei again. As expected, he was a student of his. The talent was exactly the same as his.

Seeing Bohr's impatience, Planck knew that he could not keep him here any longer.

So he smiled and said, "Okay, Bohr, since you already have an idea, go back with your mentor."

"Please send out the paper quickly. I'm still waiting to read it."

Only then did Bohr wake up from his own world and express his gratitude from the bottom of his heart.

"Thank you so much, Professor Planck."

"Your advice means so much to me."

Planck said indifferently: "I am very happy and satisfied to see you young people continue to make breakthroughs."

“The future belongs to you.”

Soon, Ridgway prepared to take Bohr to meet Planck.

Bohr was thinking about Balmer's formula and walked forward on his own, unaware that Ridgway had been stopped by Planck.

He asked quietly, "Bruce, tell me honestly, don't you know the Balmer formula?"

"Why didn't you tell Bohr?"

Li Qiwei smiled awkwardly, touched his nose, and said with a smile: "Well, I mainly want to come and see you, teacher."

Plank was stunned when he heard this. Li Qiwei hit the softest part of his heart.

This kind of delicate oriental emotion was a little overwhelming for the German Planck.

His eyes turned red instantly and his nose felt slightly sour. To have such a student in his life, what more could he ask for?

Although Li Qiwei had never attended one of his classes, the two seemed to know each other somehow.

Planck recalled that afternoon on the Arch Bridge at Cambridge University.

The water is sparkling, the breeze is blowing, everything is just right.

"You are really making Bohr suffer by running so far back and forth."

Li Qiwei smiled and said, "It won't hurt for young people to run more."

They both laughed heartily.

Bohr, who was walking in front, then realized that Teacher Bruce was still behind him.

And he and Professor Planck suddenly burst into laughter.

Bohr felt very happy and thought that the two of them must be happy for him.

After all, he was about to prove the correctness of Bohr's model.

(End of this chapter)