1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 283 The first question! The fine structure of the Balmer system! (7 consecutive days of 8, please subscribe!)
The exciting question-and-answer session finally arrived.

After G. Hertz, Moseley and Einstein verified the correctness of Bohr's model from different angles.

The vast majority of people present believed that the Bohr model was a theory that could stand the test of time.

At least these people can't think of any problem.

However, that is why they are not the big guys.

The reason why big guys are big guys is that they can often find clues in the details.

Any physical phenomenon cannot be judged solely on appearances.

At this moment, Michelson's appearance made everyone nervous instantly.

Suddenly, everyone realized that he was actually going to walk to the podium.

Wow!
"It seems that Professor Michelson's question is unusual. He even asked me to demonstrate it. I thought he just asked me to orally state a question."

"The Bohr model is so beautiful that it is not easy to question it. It requires in-depth research."

"Oh my God, seeing this old man and this young man fighting, my blood is boiling."

"Professor Michelson has been asking this question for decades. Can Bohr answer it?"

"."

Everyone was talking as Michelson's footsteps sounded.

Bohr on the stage was also staring at the other person's figure.

Soon, Michelson was standing at the projector.

He smiled and said, “In order to save time, I had already written my content on paper when I came.”

Snapped!
A huge projection landed on the wall in front of everyone.

"My question is very simple. It's about the emission spectrum of hydrogen atoms."

"Bohr explained the Balmer system perfectly with his theory."

"The nucleus is in the center, and from the inside to the outside, there are circular electron orbits of different radii."

“Electrons can only travel in these specific orbits.”

"The orbit closest to the nucleus has the lowest energy level, also called the ground state."

"Going outward, we get the second, third, and fourth energy levels, which are called excited states."

"The four hydrogen atom spectral lines in the Balmer series are the electromagnetic waves released when electrons transition to four different excited states and then transition back to the second energy level."

"Its energy is the difference between the two energy levels."

"Based on the formula, we can easily calculate the wavelength of electromagnetic waves, that is, the wavelength of the spectrum emitted by hydrogen atoms."

"It can be said that this theory is extremely successful and ingenious."

"I even think it's quite comparable to the special theory of relativity."

“Even compared with Newtonian mechanics and Maxwell’s electromagnetism, it is not inferior.”

Wow!
The people in the audience were stunned for a moment.

what's the situation.

Wasn’t Professor Michelson going to ask a question and question the Bohr model?

Why do you start off with so much praise?

Could it be that I made a mistake?

Even Bohr looked confused.

He has adjusted his spirit to the best state.

Unexpectedly, Professor Michelson did not play by the rules.

"Could it be that Professor Michelson is the same as Professor Einstein?"

Bohr was puzzled.

However, there was no time for everyone to think about it.

Michelson changed the subject and continued with a smile: "Bohr's choice of the Balmer system as an example is really very clever."

"Because the spectrum of hydrogen atoms is the simplest and easiest to explain."

“But the simplest things are often the hardest.”

"The Balmer system is far from being as simple as it seems."

Snapped!
A huge spectrum chart instantly appeared on the wall.

Four of the spectral lines are distinct and independent of each other.

"This picture was recorded when I was doing an experiment more than 20 years ago."

“At that time, I was still studying in the UK.”

“With the encouragement of Lord Rayleigh and Lord Kelvin, I chose to study spectroscopy.”

"It's a pity that both of them are not here today. One can't come, and the other didn't come."

Having said that, Michelson suddenly felt a little sad.

But he soon calmed down.

"I want to ask everyone here, do you think there is anything wrong with this picture?"

Wow!
Everyone in the venue was stunned for a moment.

"Um, what does Professor Michelson mean? Isn't this a typical Balmer family tree? What's the problem?"

"Master D, tell me, what's wrong with this picture? Aren't there just four lonely spectral lines? They are the same as predicted by the Bohr model."

"Oh my god, are all the questions from the physics masters so bizarre? Why do they feel the same as Professor Bruce asking about the law of universal gravitation?"

“I have to say that Professor Michelson’s experiments and drawings are very beautiful.”

At this time, not only ordinary people, but even bigwigs like Planck were confused.

Because they really couldn't see any problem.

But given Professor Michelson's status and position, he would never be mysterious.

So there must be something mysterious in this picture.

Unfortunately, the big guys are really confused.

Bohr was also dumbfounded at this moment. Isn't this the simplest Balmer spectrum?

He was writing a paper some time ago and he was sick of it.

Not only the Balmer style, he could even draw the Xingpa style with his eyes closed.

It's all too familiar.

"I can guarantee that there is absolutely no problem. This is the most standard Balmer pedigree chart."

Michelson took in everyone's expressions and smiled knowingly.

As expected, apart from him, no one knew what was wrong with this picture.

Michelson couldn't help but feel a little proud. American physics was finally ahead of European physics.

Although it's just a tiny little trick.

Just when he was about to explain it himself.

suddenly!

A slight sound was transmitted to everyone's ears through the loudspeaker.

"wrong."

boom!
Everyone looked towards the stage instantly.

The person who made the sound was Li Qiwei!
At this moment, he was standing upright in the host's seat, his eyes focused on Michelson's data chart.

With his hands crossed in front of his chest and his right hand supporting his chin, he looks very relaxed.

Everyone was shocked by Li Qiwei.

"Hiss! As expected of Professor Bruce, he can actually see the problem."

Even Michelson stared at Li Qiwei, his heart filled with shock.

"Bruce has never studied spectroscopy. Can he find out?"

“Is this what they call talent?”

No one spoke and held their breath, for fear of interrupting Professor Bruce's thoughts.

That would be a huge loss.

The atmosphere in the venue was extremely tense.

After about ten seconds, Li Qiwei finally spoke.

"Professor Michelson, I don't know if it's because of your handwriting or what the reason is."

"Why do the four lines on your Balmer pedigree chart seem to have tiny gaps in the middle of each line?"

"It's as if each spectral line is not a single line, but is composed of two spectral lines that are very close to each other."

boom!
A huge wave of emotion rose in Michelson's heart.

hiss!
Bruce's eyes are really sharp.

It is impossible for ordinary people to discover this detail.

The fact that no one present asked any questions was proof of this.

Yes, that was his problem.

He thought it was impossible for anyone to find out, but unexpectedly, he was found out by the legendary Bruce.

Michelson gave a bitter smile.

Bruce is indeed amazing.

Wow!
At this time, everyone present, combined with Michelson's expression, knew that Bruce was right.

They hurriedly looked at the score again.

Sure enough, after receiving the prompt, human psychological factors came into play.

Everyone can see that there is indeed a very small gap in the middle of each spectral line, which can be ignored if one is not careful.

Perhaps only a genius like Bruce could have such keen observation. "Oh my God, there really is a crack, why didn't I notice it?"

"Strange, if Professor Bruce hadn't reminded me, I wouldn't have noticed it. But once he reminded me, it felt so obvious."

"Is this the difference between having guidance from a senior master or not? It is indeed different. No wonder Bohr, Master Qian Wu and others are so outstanding."

"Wow, Professor Bruce is so amazing. I want to be his doctoral student."

At this moment, Bohr's face was full of surprise, and he also found the problem.

In Professor Michelson's data graph, each spectral line is relatively thick, so the small gap in the middle is very inconspicuous.

Bohr was completely impressed by Ridgway.

"It's a good thing that I have a tutor here today, otherwise it would be too difficult for me to do it alone."

"These big guys really can't be underestimated."

But Bohr suddenly thought of a terrible fact.

If there are two lines next to each other instead of one, wouldn't that be
Bohr suddenly became nervous.

At this time, Professor Michelson smiled and said, "Bruce, Bruce, I really don't know how to evaluate you."

"You can spot such a small problem."

"I don't know what's wrong with your eyes."

"Yes, you are right, that is the question I want to raise."

Li Qiwei smiled calmly: Basic operation, no 6.

Michelson then posted another photo.

It was an enlarged picture of the Balmer pedigree chart.

At this moment, everyone could clearly see the obvious gap.

It turns out that there are not one but two spectral lines in each spectrum.

It’s just that the wavelength difference between these two lines is very small and they are very close to each other, so it is easy to see them as one at a glance.

Professor Michelson said with a smile: "In my time, spectroscopy was very popular."

"But although it is popular, it has no theoretical support, and people can only measure the spectral lines without in-depth analysis."

"For example, the spectrum of hydrogen atoms has been measured by countless people."

“Since I chose this topic, I want to make something different.”

“It was because of this belief that I discovered the problem.”

“I work with precision instruments.”

“So I really enjoy making precise measurements.”

"At that time, I was wondering why the four spectral lines of the Balmer series seemed so broad."

"Or, I'll try to measure it carefully."

"So I improved it and made a more sophisticated spectrometer."

“As a result, we discovered the phenomenon shown in the picture.”

“But at the time, it didn’t cause much of a stir.”

“I didn’t even publish the results.”

“I was just chatting with a few friends and talked about this interesting phenomenon.”

"But apparently no one was interested and thought it might be caused by instrument error."

“It’s actually still a spectrum.”

"I didn't take it personally."

"Because there were more important things waiting for me to do at that time."

"However, more than 20 years later, when I saw the Bohr model, my forgotten memories came back to me."

At this time, Michelson suddenly raised his voice and said loudly: "According to the prediction of the Bohr model, the spectrum line must be a single line."

"Because its wavelength is calculated from the energy level difference."

"So theoretically, each of the four lines of the Balmer series is a separate line."

"However, the fact is that there are now two lines."

"To ensure accuracy, I repeated this experiment some time ago."

"Everyone, please take a look."

Michelson posted a few more data graphs, which he made in the past few months.

Every experimental result shows that each spectral line of the Balmer series is actually composed of two lines.

"So, I think this is a phenomenon that the Bohr model cannot explain."

"In other words, there's something wrong with the model."

He turned to look at Bohr and asked with a smile: "Bohr, how do you think this problem should be explained?"

boom!
At this moment, the venue was completely boiling.

As expected, he is worthy of being a Nobel Prize winner, and his every move is like the power of thunder.

This problem is too fatal.

The Balmer system, which originally made Bohr successful, has suddenly become a difficult problem.

The physical world is amazing.

"Is this the ability of a top physicist? Professor Michelson's experiment is amazing."

"Oh my God, I finally understand the importance of precision in physics."

"Such devilish details are actually noticed."

"If it were me, I would have regarded it as an error and thrown it into the trash."

Master Qian Wu, who was in the audience, was most deeply touched.

Michelson's experiments gave him an idea of ​​his own superconductivity.

Without the strong intervention of his mentor, he would probably have missed this great discovery.

Precision and limits, this is the attitude that physicists need.

Bohr thought of this problem shortly after seeing Michelson's diagram.

The other party's question now was a fatal blow to him.

There is no way to explain it!
The Bohr model cannot explain why there are two spectral lines instead of just one.

This is incredible.

"How could this be?"

"The Balmer system actually has this kind of structure. How can it be two lines?"

For a moment, Bohr was a little panicked.

He couldn't understand it at all.

This is in clear conflict with his theory.

But it was impossible for Professor Michelson's experiment to go wrong.

Since the other party dares to demonstrate it in front of so many people, they are not afraid of others repeating the experiment.

This shows that this must be the case.

The experiment on hydrogen atom spectrum is very simple, and with today's technology, any normal laboratory can perform it.

Bohr said with difficulty, "Well, well, let me think about it."

Wow!
The audience exploded instantly.

Today's meeting was so exciting.

The first thing he did was to bomb, which completely stunned Bohrgheim.

Is this the strength of a Nobel Prize winner?
It's so terrifying!
Many people even looked at Bohr with a hint of sympathy.

Faced with this extremely sharp question, one can imagine the pressure the other party was under.

This happened in front of hundreds of people and dozens of bigwigs.

The big guys in the front row also frowned slightly; they couldn't figure it out either.

However, older generation physicists such as Planck and Lorentz gradually remembered this phenomenon of the Balmer system.

It does exist!
At this moment, everyone's heart was in their throat.

Bohr was so anxious that sweat broke out on his forehead.

Suddenly, he thought of Professor Bruce's teachings.

You must learn to keep a calm mind, no theory is perfect.

Don’t be afraid of problems, just solve them.

If you can't solve it, leave it to others.

Bohr looked toward Ridgway.

The other party looked at Michelson's data calmly, with a barely perceptible smile on the corner of his mouth.

It was as if all this was expected by him.

At this moment, Bohr suddenly felt his heart calm down.

The majestic figure of Li Qiwei was deeply imprinted in Bohr's mind.

Bohr felt that his mentor at this moment was the giant who was protecting him.

Even if the sky falls, the other party will hold it up.

There is no problem in this world that he cannot solve.

Bohr took a deep breath.

"My mentor is here, I have nothing to fear!"

(End of this chapter)