A helium atom is an atom of the chemical element helium. Helium is composed of two electrons bound by the electromagnetic force to a nucleus containing two protons along with either one or two neutrons, depending on the isotope, held together by the strong force. Unlike for hydrogen, a closed-form solution to the Schrödinger equation for the helium atom has not been found. However, various approximations, such as the Hartree-Fock method, can be used to estimate the ground state energy and wavefunction of the atom.
Read more about Helium Atom: Introduction, Hartree-Fock Method, Thomas–Fermi Method, The Variational Method, See Also
Famous quotes containing the word atom:
“I celebrate myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.”
—Walt Whitman (1819–1892)