Concluding Remarks.
Reading edition
In the deductions of this paper the following general assumptions are used:—
1. That an elementary system containing rotating electrons will not emit energy radiation in the continuous way assumed in ordinary electrodynamics, but that radiation is only emitted during the passing of the system between a certain number of stationary states.
2. That the dynamical equilibrium of the system in the stationary states is governed by the ordinary laws of mechanics, while these laws do not hold for the passing of the system between the different stationary states.
3. That the radiation emitted during the passing of the system between two stationary states is homogeneous; and that only in the region of slow vibrations does the frequency approach that to be expected on ordinary electrodynamics, while in general the frequency is determined by the relation , where is the total amount of energy emitted and Planck’s constant.
It has been attempted to show that, applying these assumptions to Rutherford’s theory of the structure of atoms, it seems possible to obtain an explanation of the laws of line-spectra discovered by Balmer, Rydberg, and Ritz.
It has further been attempted to show that it seems possible to account for some of the general features of the effect of magnetic and electric fields on spectral lines discovered by Zeeman and Stark. In the case of an electric field it is assumed that no alterations in the above assumptions take place. In the case of a magnetic field, however, it is found necessary to modify the third assumption in order to retain the connexion with ordinary electrodynamics in the region of slow vibrations.