all the orbitals of the same shell in the absence of magnetic field possess same energy i.e, they are degenerate.. please explain
Answers
Explanation:
all orbitals in the same subshell have the same energy. Orbitals with the same energy are referred to as “degenerate.”
Answer:
Do all orbitals in the same energy level, i.e., period, have the same energy? Does that mean that all orbitals in a subshell are degenerate?
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4 Answers

Joseph Murray
, Ph.D. Physics, University of Maryland, College Park
Answered 4 years ago · Upvoted by
Steven Merz
, PhD Candidate in Chemical Engineering · Author has 925 answers and 1.1M answer views
Originally Answered: Do all orbitals in the same energy level ie period have the same energy? Does that mean that all orbitals in a subshell are degenerate?
The simplified, though naive, answer to this question is yes - all of the orbitals in a given electron shell have the same energy.
However, this neglects several important effects. The magnetic field generated by the “motion” of the electron around the nucleus interacts with the magnetic dipole due to the electron’s spin. This is called the spin-orbit coupling, and creates a small energy difference which “lifts” some of the degeneracy in what is typically referred to as the “fine structure” of the atomic energy levels.
An even smaller energy splitting occurs due to the interaction between the magnetic dipole moment of the electron with the magnetic dipole moment of the nucleus. This effect is called the hyperfine structure of the atomic energy levels.
Yet another energy splitting occurs due to the “vacuum polarization,” wherein virtual electron/positron pairs pop in and out of existence, lowering the effective nuclear charge seen by the electrons. This effect is called the Lamb shift.
These effects all take place even for the hydrogen atom. In more complex atoms, we must also take into account the fact that the electrons in orbitals which are localized near the nucleus also screen the nuclear charge for those orbitals which are effectively further away, and generate their own electromagnetic fields - this also causes energy shifts between orbitals, and is why the orbitals are filled in a somewhat odd order starting around the 3d mark.
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