An Analytical Study of the Effect of Gravity on Electronic Wave Functions in Oxygen

Rushil Saraswat

Abstract: We can determine the presence of oxygen in the sun by observing its absorption spectrum. However, no single wavelength observed in the oxygen spectrum of the sun directly corresponds to the Ritz wavelength of either the oxygen atom or the oxygen molecule. To account for this inconsistency, the study hypothesizes that the shells of the oxygen atom expand or compress under the presence of gravity, and it causes the change of difference in energy levels. To verify the hypothesis, the study assumes the shells in the atom to be different levels of a modified version of an infinite potential well. The relative distance between two shells of atoms present on the earth and the sun can be worked out by comparing the energies of the modified infinite potential wells. The study finds that the ratio of distances between the atoms present on the earth and the sun is not same, hence, verifying the hypothesis. To further verify the hypothesis, analysis of spectrums of more elements under the influence of a large gravitational field and with significant screening effects is required.

Keywords: Physics and Astronomy, Atomic, Molecular, Optical Physics, Atomic Spectra, Oxygen Spectrum, Electronic Wave functions