In a recent paper under the same title, G. A. Schott finds that the usual method of calculating the intensities of spectrum lines is liable to lead to gross errors. Although one would expect from general reasons that any improvement of the usual method would only lead to small corrections and that, therefore, Schott’s conclusion cannot be free from error, it may not be devoid of interest to show that a correct calculation
starting with Schott’s formulæ
leads, in contradiction to Schott’s conclusion, to the generally accepted classical result. The aim of Schott’s calculations is to obtain a quantum mechanical expression for the energy radiated by an atom, which is classically given by R=2/3C
3
{р(t-r/c)}
2
, (1) p(
t
) being the electric moment of a dipole representing the atom. Schott considers the special case of a hydrogen atom emitting a radiation corresponding to a transition from the centrosymmetrical state
1
=A
f
(r) (2)
On the electromagnetic fields due to variable electric charges and the intensities of spectrum lines according to quantum theory