Hydrogen's Selfie

Finally, the atomic world has caught up with the latest human trend: taking selfies. Although the method used to capture the image of the hydrogen atom was first hypothesised more than 30 yeas ago, scientists have only recently been able to create this new 'quantum microscope'

Image from http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2013/may/23/quantum-microscope-peers-into-the-hydrogen-atom

Indeed, the colour picture you see on the right is the first ever taken of the hydrogen atom, revealing even its orbital. Scientists utilised a technique called photoionisation, using lasers to excite the sole electron of the hydrogen atom while under the influence of an electric field. This causes the electron to 'fly away' from the atom using a certain path amd reaches a detector that is perpendicular to the electric field. Since the electron can take many different paths to reach the exact same spot on the detector, the interference pattern can be mapped and after magnified 20,000 times, observed. This interference pattern directly correlates to where the electron cannot be, or its nodal structures, and thus the position of the electron can be mapped, revealing the shape and size of the 1s-orbital.

Previously, the structure of the s, p, d and f-orbitals could only be predicted through complex mathematical equations called wave functions. The square of the wave function then predicted the probability of where an electron would be at a given point of time. It is thus important to note that the image of the s-orbital of the hydrogen atom proves that the predictions of the wave function was right: the s-orbital is spherical in shape. However, the shapes of the other orbitals remain to be proven.

Therefore, researchers are likely to be studying larger and larger atoms, beginning with helium. Helium, having two electrons in the same orbital, may give surprising results as they may be under the influence of quantum entanglement. Also, according to one of the scientists in the project, this method could also be used to study hydrogen under a magnetic field, study time-resolved electron dynamics, investigate holographic interference microscopy and perhaps even observe molecules.

What then, if the theoretical predictions were wrong? For example, the structure of the p, d or f-orbital could be totally different and unexpected in reality. Textbooks would have to be re-written, courses have to be re-taught, new explanations would have to be provided to account for the new discoveries. In my opinion, when such a scenario occurs, it wouldn't be a question of what is true, but what people choose to believe and accept as the truth. What do you think?

And once again, thanks for reading!