Helium atom Helium atom 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. The quantum mechanical description of the helium atom is of special interest, because
Empire of the Atom Empire of the Atom Empire of the Atom is a science fiction novel by Canadian American writer A. E. van Vogt. It was first published in 1957 by Shasta Publishers in an edition of 2,000 copies. The novel is a fix-up of the first five of van Vogt's Gods stories which originally appeared in the magazine "Astounding". The remaining Gods stories are collected in "The Wizard of Linn". Author and critic James Blish observed that the plot of the Gods stories resembled that of Robert Graves' "Claudius" novels. Author and critic Damon Knight said that the plot was "lifted almost