Thread: Electrons discreet energy levels

I want to make sure I understand this problem right. Without QM, we would expect an orbiting electron to gradually lose energy and collapse into the nucleus due to the acceleration of orbiting?

Does that mean that, on the macro scale (where QM doesn't really apply), if we took a charged sphere, and attached it to the outer edge of a frictionless merry-go-round, and started the merry-go-round spinning, that it would gradually slow down over time due to the sphere emitting photons?

Originally Posted by kojax

I want to make sure I understand this problem right. Without QM, we would expect an orbiting electron to gradually lose energy and collapse into the nucleus due to the acceleration of orbiting?

Does that mean that, on the macro scale (where QM doesn't really apply), if we took a charged sphere, and attached it to the outer edge of a frictionless merry-go-round, and started the merry-go-round spinning, that it would gradually slow down over time due to the sphere emitting photons?

Yes.

An accelerated charge radiates (there is some controversy for a purely linear acceleration) and that radiation carries off energy.

Thanks. That helps quite a lot in understanding the situation.