Hi,
I came across a really nice QM applet that displays both energy density and
electron radial distribution in 3D in addition to allowing 2D slicing. The user
can slice the 3-dimensional atomic orbital displays on any X, Y, or Z axis. The
below applet also shows radial distribution graph if you click "View" in the
menu and select the appropriate item.
http://www.falstad.com/qmatom/
The html page only mentions hydrogen, but this applet shows atoms up to n=16,
and allows the user to select all QM number such as n, l, and m. Upon starting
the applet I would recommend you full size the applet window, then slide the
"Image Resolution" to max (right side), then click menu "View" and select
"Radial Distribution," then check all the boxes in menu "Option," then click the
menu "Samples" and select "Samples = 55 (best)," then on top right text box
select "Complex Orbitals (phys.)," then select "Show X Slice," then click and
drag the square box around the 3D atom to an appropriate angle, and last you can
then move your mouse over the middle line inside the box so that it turns yellow
and then slide the yellow line to whatever X slice you want. There's other
things you can click on and move around, but since you know all about QM this is
probably a waste of time.
It seems clear that the atom is not some object composed of rigid little
objects, but rather composed of what appears to be standing wave patterns.
Regards,
Paul Lowrance
