The lowest allowed energy is eual to zero for · ABC26PH0286

Subject: Physical Chemistry · Chapter: Atomic Structure · Topic: Atomic Structure – General · Exam: GATE 2005-2021 · Marks: 2 · Difficulty: Easy

The lowest allowed energy is eual to zero for
(a)the hydrogen atom
(b)a rigid rotor
(c)a harmonic oscillator
(d)a particle in a 3-dimensional box
Answer
Answer: B ✓ checked by 4AB · confidence high

The source book printed no answer; this one was worked out and checked — see the explanation.

Explanation
E_J = BJ(J+1) is zero for J = 0: the rigid rotor has no zero-point energy. The oscillator (½ħω), the 3-D box and the hydrogen atom (−13.6 eV) all have non-zero lowest energies.

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