Subject: Re: CCL:[Re]: orbitals and reality

From: Valentina VETERE <vetere [a] esrf.fr>
Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2005 11:24:07 +0100

Dear CCL list,
since several days I'm reading with interest the e-mail about orbitals and 
reality.

Nevertheless, there is still something not clear in my mind. My point is 
that since my first lessons on quantum mechanics I belief that all the 
equations (not excluding Schrodinger or Dirac) were models of a more 
complex reality that none can describe for instance with numbers. Is this true?
If yes, I would like to understand why orbitals give rice to all this 
discussion.
Probably you can say that the orbitals are a rude model with bigger 
assumptions respect to the all electron wavefunction solution of a Schr. 
equation. Nevrtheless, also this solution is a model for me...a higher 
level model? But, my reaction when I first saw the Nature picture was "not 
too bad the model is not so far from reality.."
I thought we were lucky!

Can you help me in understanding why I'm wrong?

Dr. Valentina Vetere
Scientist Theory Group
European Syncrothon Radiation Facility (ESRF)
Grenoble France

---

From: Dmitri Rozmanov <dima {} xenon.spb.ru>
Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2005 15:52:18 -0500

Dear, CCL

Yes, I would agree. For me this discussion look like: "Muffin is a 
torus, look.", "No way! Nobody can show me the torus, as it is just a 
math abstraction."

Honestly I have not read the paper. But ;) read all the messages in the 
thread. In fact that was very interesting. I am glad that so many people 
answered.

I think that all this just a matter of what we want to express. If an 
electron standing wave at some specific state in the atom has some 
specific density of charge, probability, etc. Then if we can visualize 
it in some way and the same thing is described by an orbital at some 
level of theory and many people understand this. I guess it is fair and 
acceptable to say that the orbital is visualized, in some sense.

Regards,

	--- Dmitry.

Valentina VETERE wrote:
> Dear CCL list,
> since several days I'm reading with interest the e-mail about orbitals 
> and reality.
> 
> level model? But, my reaction when I first saw the Nature picture was 
> "not too bad the model is not so far from reality.."
> I thought we were lucky!
>