Rydberg Atoms Rydberg atoms are atoms whose outermost electron is in an excited state with a very large principal quantum number. Rydberg atoms have been produced in the laboratory and detected in interstellar space.
(a) Why do all neutral Rydberg atoms with the same n value have essentially the same ionization energy, independent of the total number of electrons in the atom?
(b) What is the ionization energy for a Rydberg atom with a principal quantum number of 350? What is the radius in the Bohr model of the Rydberg electron's orbit?
(c) Repeat part (b) for n = 650.