electron density & repulsion

[lemur]

Since this seems like a Bohr-model type idea about electron behavior vis-a-vis the nucleus, I will pose it from a historical point of view. Has there ever been research that examined the relationship between electron density and repulsion within a given layer of electrons as radius from the nucleus would decrease? Specifically, it seems like repulsion among the electrons within the same radial sphere would increase as the radius of that sphere from the protons decreased. Since electron speed/momentum would be a consequence of greater electrostatic attraction from the protons; and it would correspond with greater repulsion among the electrons at the smaller radius, I would think that this could be a plausible reason why the electrons wouldn't ever collapse into the nucleus. But since this Bohr-ish in nature, I assume that someone else though of it prior to the discarding of the Bohr model. Does anyone know if such an idea emerged and what I should google to read about it?

Edited February 25, 2011 by lemur

[steevey]

I don't know exactly what your trying to say, but it might have to do with more than just charge. Electrons do repel each other with the same amount of strength since all electrons are identical, but there are other factors which determine where they are, such as energy or the angular momentum and the mysterious spin which allows electrons to exist in other places because of the Pauli exclusion principal. Electrons don't tend to cancel out each-others existence by having all the same properties, but to avoid that requires some properties to be different such as the ones I mentioned before. So its not just charge that repels electrons, its also exclusion, and for specific and different distances from the nucleus, the properties required to occupy that space can change. Two electrons might exist in the s orbital at the first energy level and classically they would repel each other, which they do, but also, one will have spin up and the other will have spin down making them different and distinguishable.

Edited February 25, 2011 by steevey