Foundation of radiation theory

Intra- and intermolecular hydrogen transfer processes are important in a wide variety of chemical processes, ranging from free radical reactions (which make up the foundation of radiation chemistry) and tautomeriza-tion in the ground and excited states (a fundamental photochemical process) to bulk and surface diffusion (critical for heterogeneous catalytic processes). The exchange reaction H2 + H has always been the preeminent model for testing basic concepts of chemical dynamics theory because it is amenable to carrying out exact three-dimensional fully quantum mechanical calculations. This reaction is now studied in low-temperature solids as well. 

The discovery of the phenomenon that is now known as extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) was made in the 1920s, however, it wasn t until the 1970s that two developments set the foundation for the theory and practice of EXAFS measurements. The first was the demonstration of mathematical algorithms for the analysis of EXAFS data. The second was the advent of intense synchrotron radiation of X-ray wavelengths that immensely facilitated the acquisition of these data. During the past two decades, the use of EXAFS has become firmly established as a practical and powerfiil analytical capability for structure determination. ... 

In Science, every concept, question, conclusion, experimental result, method, theory or relationship is always open to reexamination. Molecules do exist Nevertheless, there are serious questions about precise definition. Some of these questions lie at the foundations of modem physics, and some involve states of aggregation or extreme conditions such as intense radiation fields or the region of the continuum. There are some molecular properties that are definable only within limits, for example, the geometrical stmcture of non-rigid molecules, properties consistent with the uncertainty principle, or those limited by the negleet of quantum-field, relativistic or other effects. And there are properties which depend specifically on a state of aggregation, such as superconductivity, ferroelectric (and anti), ferromagnetic (and anti), superfluidity, excitons. polarons, etc. Thus, any molecular definition may need to be extended in a more complex situation. 

In the present state of science, it seems hardly possible to frame a dynamic theory of molecular action which shall embrace the phenomena of thermodynamics, of radiation, and of the electrical manifestations which accompany the union of atoms. .. Even if we confine our attention to phenomena distinctively thermodynamic, we do not escape difficulties in as simple a matter as the number of degrees of freedom of a diatomic gas. .. Certainly, one is building on an insecure foundation, who rests his work on hypotheses concerning the constitution of matter. 

Dunitz wrote of these equations Debye s paper, published only a few months after the discovery of X-ray diffraction by crystals, is remarkable for the physical intuition it showed at a time when almost nothing was known about the structure of solids at the atomic level. Ewald described how The temperature displacements of the atoms in a lattice are of the order of magnitude of the atomic distances The result is a factor of exponential form whose exponent contains besides the temperature the order of interference only [h,k,l, hence sin 9/M]. The importance of Debye s work, as stressed by Ewald,was in paving the way for the first immediate experimental proof of the existence of zero-point energy, and therewith of the quantum statistical foundation of Planck s theory of black-body radiation. ... 

In 1900, Max Planck (1858-1947) discovered a formula (now often called the Planck radiation law) that modeled curves like those shown in Figure 24-21 nearly perfectly. He followed this discoveiy by developing a theory that made two bold assumptions regarding the oscillating atoms or molecules in blackbody radiators. He assumed (1) that these species could have only discrete energies and (2) that they could absorb or emit energy in discrete units, or quanta. These assumptions, which are implicit in Equation 24-3, laid the foundation for the development of quantum theory and eventually won him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918. 

What are the limitations of classical theories, such as electromagnetics, optics, and thermodynamics, for thermal radiation and what fact originally prompted the modern theory of radiation State briefly the foundations of the modem theory. 

A primary objective of this work is to provide the general theoretical foundation for different perturbation theory applications in all types of nuclear systems. Consequently, general notations have been used without reference to any specific mathematical description of the transport equation used for numerical calculations. The formulation has been restricted to time-independent and linear problems. Throughout the work we describe the scope of past, and discuss the possibility for future applications of perturbation theory techniques for the analysis, design and optimization of fission reactors, fusion reactors, radiation shields, and other deep-penetration problems. This review concentrates on developments subsequent to Lewins review (7) published in 1968. The literature search covers the period ending Fall 1974. 

The rigorous derivation of the intensity formulas for the Raman effect or, indeed, for the infrared would require a completely satisfactory quantum mechanical theory of radiation, which does not appear to have been developed at this time. There seems to be little doubt, however, that essentially correct treatments of both these phenomena have been obtained, using as a foundation either the Dirac theory of radiation or the correspondence principle. There is not space to give the detailed... 

Lewis s scientific interests covered subjects as disparate as foundational issues in thermodynamics, valence theory, and theory of radiation and relativity. In the last decade of his career, Lewis tried to devise a new chemistry of deuterium compounds, a field he abandoned for research on photochemistry in 1938. He died in 1946 in the laboratory while performing an experiment on fluorescence. 

Classical Newtonian mechanics assumes that a physical system can be kept under continuous observation without thereby disturbing it. This is reasonable when the system is a planet or even a spinning top, but is unacceptable for microscopic systems, such as an atom. To observe the motion of an election, it is necessary to ilium mate it with light of ultrashort wavelength (gamma rays) momentum is transferred from the radiation to the electron and the particle s velocity is. therefore, continuously disturbed. The effect upon a system of observing it can not be determined exactly, and this means that the state of a system at any time cannot be known with complete precision. As a consequence, predictions regarding the behavior of microscopic systems have to be made on a probability basis and complete certainty can rarely be achieved. This limitation is accepted and is made one of the foundation stones upon which the theory of quantum mechanics is constructed. 

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