What analogies are there between the irregular moons problem and chemistry problems?
At the end of the 19th century, with the discovery of the electron and the recognition that atoms were mainly “space” physicists tried to apply methods of celestial mechanics to the motion of electrons in atoms. Essentially they viewed the atom as a miniature Solar System. However, this model could not explain observed spectra of atoms. Bohr imposed quantization on this celestial mechanial model (that is, things like angular momentum could only take discrete values rather than the continuous values observed in classical mechanical systems.) While Bohr’s model worked for the Hydrogen atom it failed for all other atoms. The discovery of quantum mechanics (QM) provided a single coherent explanation for observed atomic and molecular spectra. Unfortunately, QM doesn’t provide much insight into “what’s actually going on” inside an atom or molecule and, also, is hard to apply. Semiclassical methods, pioneered by MV Berry at Bristol and others, attempt to “sew quantum flesh on classical bones.
