Atomic Orbitals

Draws the wavefunctions of the atomic orbitals of a single electron. Or rather, their cut through a plane. For the sake of visualisation, the shown values are scaled over the maximum on the showing region.

These orbitals are defined by the principal (n), azimuthal (l) and magnetic (m) quantum numbers (QN), and are solutions of defined energy and angular momentum of the Scrödinger equation, that accounts for the electrostatic potential generated by a nucleus of a given atomic number (Z, the number of protons).

This solutions, or physical orbitals, are functions of position that take complex values. The app represents their magnitude in each point with its luminosity, and their phase with the hue, from red (positive) to cyan (negative) and all around red, going through all the colors of the rainbow for other phases.

Sometimes is convenient working with linear combinations of these. The combinations of the above (pysical) with the same values of n and l, and opposite values of m, give wavefunctions that are real, and have defined energy and total angular momentum (but not magnetic moment). For each value (positive) of m, there can be a even and an odd linear combination, that give different shapes. This combinations take the name of chemical orbitals, since they are used in this science.

The application also allows you to handle the scene parameters. That is the facing and the size of the viewport, and the distance at which it is from the origin of the coordinates system (the nucleus of the atom).

It has also the ability of saving and retrieve the scenes and sharing them.