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LXIX. Remarks regarding the Series Spectrum of Hydrogen 

 and the Constitution of the Atom. By L. Vegard, JJr.Phil. y 

 Lecturer of Physics at the University of Christiania *. 



IN the number of the Phil. Mag. for Jan. 1915, Dr. H. 

 Stanley Allen has published two interesting papers, 

 where he considers the case in which the circulating electrons 

 of the atom, in addition to the electrical forces, are acted on by 

 a magnetic field equivalent to that of an elementary magnet 

 placed at the centre and with its axis perpendicular to the 

 plane of the orbit. 



Generally, he finds that the magnetic effects u are not in 

 themselves sufficient to account for more than a small fraction 

 of the effect that would be necessary to give the observed 

 distribution of lines in spectral series. " 



In the case of hydrogen, however, he finds that the de- 

 viation from the Balmer formula as found by Curtis would 

 be explained, when in certain states of motion the electron 

 was acted on by the field of an elementary magnet with a 

 moment of 5 or 6 magnetons and placed at the centre, 

 and he states that ' ; in support of the view that the core 

 contains 5 magnetons we have the fact first pointed out 

 by Chalmers that the magnetic moment produced by an 

 electron moving in a circular orbit with angular momentum 



of 7T- is exactly 5 magnetons." 



2-7T J n 



Regarding this last point I should like to make a few 

 remarks. 



The 5 or 6 magnetons which are necessary to explain the 

 deviations from the Balmer formula in the way proposed by 

 Dr. Stanley Allen must be due to a magnetic system near 

 the centre, and are of course not to be identified with the 

 5 magnetons produced by the light-emitting electron in the 

 normal state of the atom; and if the explanation of 

 Dr. Stanley Allen is correct, it would have important con- 

 sequences with regard to our conception of the inner 

 nucleus. 



The inner magnetic system might either be produced by 

 circulating electrons or by the rotation of the positive 

 nucleus. 



The angular momentum fi of a sphere is |Ma 2 o>, where M 

 is the mass, a the radius, and co the angular velocity. The 



* Communicated bv the Author. 



