Experimental Electron Distributions in Atoms of Monatomic Gases

The radial electron distribution in the atoms of helium, neon, and argon is calculated from the writer's recent data for the intensity of x-rays scattered by gases. These curves are found to be in good agreement with similar curves derived from wave mechanics. They represent the electron distribution for the atom in a state of rest and hence show more detail than similar curves calculated with the aid of crystal reflection data. In the case of neon, the experimental data are sufficiently complete to separate the $K$ and $L$ electrons. The smaller radius of these levels in argon make such a resolution impossible for the wave-length of the x-rays used. A comparison of the $U$ curve for argon and with the same curve for the chlorine ion from NaCl at 0°K shows the presence of zero point energy for the ion in the space lattice of the crystal.