Abstract
THE objection of Prof. Hicks to the use of Larmor's principle (NATURE, June 27, p. 978) is well founded, but the Zeeman triplet effect can be made to fit into the quantum theory by keeping strictly to dynamical principles. The phase-integral ∫pdq, for a variety of reasons, is, for the case of a magnetic field, to be replaced by ∫(δL/δq̇)dq, where L is the Lagrangian function. For the hydrogen atom Hence, on quantising, From this, for radial quantisation, where C′ = C + nhe/4φmc, -C being the energy and H2 being neglected. Hence the “permitted” value of the energy is where n, n′ are the azimuthal and radial quantum numbers.
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CONWAY, A. [Letters to Editor]. Nature 116, 97 (1925). https://doi.org/10.1038/116097a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/116097a0
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