Atomic orbital

Definition

In quantum mechanics, an atomic orbital is a function describing the location and wave-like behavior of an electron in an atom. This function describes an electron's charge distribution around the atom's nucleus, and can be used to calculate the probability of finding an electron in a specific region around the nucleus.

Related concepts

18-electron rule Absolute value Absorption spectra Albert Einstein Albrecht Unsöld Alkali metal Angular momentum Angular momentum quantum number Antibonding molecular orbital Antinode Argon Atom Atomic electron configuration table Atomic electron transition Atomic mass Atomic nucleus Atomic number Atomic physics Atomic spectral line Atomic theory Aufbau principle Azimuthal quantum number Ball (mathematics)Basis (linear algebra)Basis set (chemistry)Beryllium Bohr model Bond order Bonding molecular orbital Caesium Cartesian coordinate system Charge density Chemical bond Chemical element Chromium Complex number Condensed matter physics Configuration interaction Coordinate system Copernicium Core electron Covalent bond Cubic harmonic Cubical atom Darmstadtium Delta bond Diffuse series Dirac equation Domain coloring Double bond Dumbbell Eigenstate Eigenstates Eigenvalue Electric charge Electric field Electron Electron configuration Electron configurations of the elements (data page)Electron correlation Electron counting Electron magnetic moment Electron pair Electron shell Electron shells Electron subshell Electronic configuration Elementary particle Ellipsoid Emission spectra Energy level Ernest Rutherford Erwin Schrödinger Exchange interaction Exponential function Extended periodic table Fermion Feynmanium Fine-structure constant Function (mathematics)Fundamental frequency Fundamental series Gaussian orbital Hamiltonian (quantum mechanics)Hamiltonian operator Hantaro Nagaoka Harmonics Hartree–Fock Helium History of atomic theory Hund's rule of maximum multiplicity Hund's rules Hydrogen Hydrogen-like atom Hydrogen atom Indium Introduction to quantum mechanics Ion Isosurface J. J. Thomson John Dalton Keplerian orbit Lamb shift Lawrencium Lewis structure Limit (mathematics)Linear combination Linear combination of atomic orbitals Linear combination of atomic orbitals molecular orbital method Linus Pauling Lithium London dispersion force Lone pair Louis de Broglie Madelung rule Magnesium Magnetic moment Magnetic quantum number Matter wave Matter waves Max Born Meitnerium Mercury (element)Molecular orbital Molecular orbital diagram Molecular orbital theory Neon Niels Bohr Node (physics)Non-bonding orbital Nuclear structure Octet rule Optical ring resonators Orbital eccentricity Orbital hybridisation Orbital overlap P-block Particle Pauli exclusion principle Periodic table Periodic table (electron configurations)Periodic table block Phi bond Photoelectric effect Photon Pi bond Planck constant Plum pudding model Point of tangency Polynomial Positive integer Principal quantum number Principal series (spectroscopy)Probability Probability density Probability distribution Quadruple bond Quantum chemistry Quantum chemistry computer programs Quantum electrodynamics Quantum mechanics Quantum number Quantum state Quantum superposition Quintuple bond Radium Real number Relativistic quantum chemistry Resonance (chemistry)Richard Feynman Robert S. Mulliken Roentgenium Roger Penrose Rutherford model Satellite constellation Saturnian model Schrödinger equation Sextuple bond Sharp series Sigma bond Single bond Singlet state Slater-type orbital Slater determinant Sodium Solid-state physics Spectral line Spherical coordinates Spherical harmonic Spherical harmonics Spin (physics)Spin magnetic quantum number Spin quantum number Spin–orbit interaction Standing wave Stern–Gerlach experiment Table of spherical harmonics Term symbol The Road to Reality Torus Total angular momentum quantum number Traveling wave Trigonometric functions Triple bond Triplet state Unbounded function Uncertainty principle Unpaired electron Untriseptium Valence bond theory Valence electron Valence shell Vibrations of a circular drum Vortex theory of the atom Wave function Wave function collapse Wave interference Wave packet Wave–particle duality Weighted average Werner Heisenberg Wiswesser's rule X-ray notation X-ray spectroscopy Xenon Zeitschrift für Physik

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