Abstract
IN a recent letter to NATURE (May 10, p. 673) Dr. Kramers advanced a quantum theory of dispersion which is a generalisation of the theory of Ladenburg. The formula proposed by Kramers for the polarisation of an atom when put in a wave is his formula (5). This formula is stated by Kramers to satisfy the condition demanded by the Correspondence Principle, namely, that the dispersion due to an atom in a state of high quantum number is the same on the classical and on the quantum theories.1 The presence of the second term has been introduced by Kramers for this purpose. From the point of view of the virtual oscillators of Bohr, Kramers, and Slater, the second negative term of Kramers is somewhat dissatisfying, because an oscillator would give rise only to a term of the first positive type.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
BREIT, G. The Quantum Theory of Dispersion. Nature 114, 310 (1924). https://doi.org/10.1038/114310a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/114310a0
This article is cited by
-
On the verge of Umdeutung in Minnesota: Van Vleck and the correspondence principle. Part one
Archive for History of Exact Sciences (2007)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.