- #1
spaghetti3451
- 1,344
- 33
I am analysing the motion of the electron and the nucleus of a hydrogenic atom. I know that the two particles, so to speak, rotate their common centre of mass and that the two-body system is identical with respect to the predictions (e.g. energy) borne out by the system to a one-body system of reduced mass mu. Correct me if I have been wrong on this.
Now my question is this:
In deriving the energy levels of the hydrogenic atom, we assume that the nucleus is infinitely heavy, so that the reduced mass becomes the mass of the electron. Why do we do so and what follows next?
Now my question is this:
In deriving the energy levels of the hydrogenic atom, we assume that the nucleus is infinitely heavy, so that the reduced mass becomes the mass of the electron. Why do we do so and what follows next?