Submitted by Richard D. Harcourt, Nov 6, 2007 23:20

A question and answer on page 127 of Segrè's Faust in Copenhagen provide an opportunity to reveal an "atomic shell structure" connection between Bohr, Heisenberg, Schrödinger and Pauli. On page 127, it is asked: "Why don't all the electrons in an atom jump down to the lowest energy state (think orbit if you wish, though Pauli would not approve)? The answer is, the Pauli principle forbids it."
The Pauli principle is appropriate for electrons when they "occupy" Schrödinger orbitals. However, if one DOES think in terms of electrons moving around Bohr circular orbits, then (to echo Segrè), an answer is: the Heisenberg uncertainty relation forbids it! The latter answer has been deduced on a number of occasions (see references 4(a)-4(d) of reference [1]), and leads to the following people identity: Pauli + Schrödinger = Heisenberg + Bohr!
[1] Harcourt, R.D. and Klapötke, T.M. Tutorial review: Bohr circular orbit diagrams for some fluorine containing molecules. J. Fluor. Chem. 127, 712-719: 2006

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