The Bohr model is a fundamental theory of atomic structure proposed by the Danish physicist Niels Bohr in 1913. It was developed to explain the behavior of electrons in atoms, particularly the hydrogen atom, and it marked a significant advancement in the field of quantum mechanics and atomic physics.
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The Bohr model assumes circular electron orbits with quantized orbital angular momentum . It reproduces the hydrogen energy levels, but wavefunctions in quantum mechanics describe spatial probability distributions rather than definite trajectories. In particular, spherically symmetric Coulomb bound states have zero orbital angular momentum.
Was the first model to explain the Balmer series, notably linking atomic spectra to the Planck constant and therefore to other initial quantum mechanical observations.
This was one of the first major models that just said:
I give up, I can't tie this to classical physics in any way, let's just roll with it, OK?
It still treats electrons as little points spinning around the nucleus, but it makes the non-classical postulate that only certain angular momentums (and therefore energies) are allowed.
Bibliography:
- Inward Bound by Abraham Pais (1988) Chapter 9.e Atomic structure and spectral lines - Niels Bohr
- The Quantum Story by Jim Baggott (2011) Chapter 3 A Little Bit of Reality