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	{{about\|the structure of an atom\|the particle accelerator phenomenon\|Electron-Cloud Effect}}

	] of hydrogen, with a plus and a minus sign superimposed. The plus sign represents the location of the nucleus; the minus sign represents a possible location of the electron.]]

	'''Electron cloud''' is a term used, if not originally coined, by the ] laureate and acclaimed educator ] in ] (] Vol 1 lect 6 pg 11) for discussing "exactly what is an ]?". In the electron cloud analogy, an electron is described as a cloud surrounding the ] of an atom (or the nuclei of the atoms in a molecule). The thicker the cloud is in a region, the more likely that the electron, when its position is ], will be found there. Electron clouds allows one to visualize the random nature of the position of quantum particles, as opposed to classical particles which can be located at one point.

	To go into more detail, this intuitive model provides a way of visualizing an electron as a solution of the ]. Solutions of Schrödinger's equation are called ], and when one takes the square of the absolute value of the wavefunction, one obtains the ] of the position of an electron. A three-dimensional plot of the probability density, where the opacity of the cloud is proportional to the probability density, gives us the electron cloud image.

	The electron cloud model evolved from the earlier ]or solar system model, which likened an electron surrounding an atomic nucleus to a planet ]ing the sun. From the Bohr model we get the term ]. The electron cloud model better describes many observed phenomena, including the ], the ] and ], and atomic interactions with light. This model demonstrates the ] of an electron, in that electron behavior is described as a delocalized wavelike object.

	Experimental evidence suggests that the probability density is not just a theoretical model for the uncertainty in the location of the electron, but rather that it reflects the actual state of the electron.{{Fact\|date=May 2009}} This carries an enormous philosophical implication, indicating that point-like particles do not actually exist, and that the universe's evolution may be fundamentally uncertain. The fundamental source of quantum uncertainty is an ] in physics. ] is one relatively recent attempt to shed light on this question, and has met with only partial success so far.

	== See also ==

⚫	* ]

	== References ==

	<cite id=Feynman2006>
	* Feynman, Richard; Leighton; Sands. (2006). ''The Feynman Lectures on Physics -The Definitive Edition- ''. Pearson ]. ISBN 0-8053-9046-4</cite>

	<cite id= Allen 2008>
	* Allen, Stanley H. Photoelectricity - The Liberation of Electrons By Light </cite>

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Revision as of 06:26, 16 June 2009

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