How did Schrodinger and De Broglie change Bohr's model of an atom?

Answer 1

Neils Bohr made the ASSUMPTION that electrons could only exist in discrete energy levels when the electrostatic field of a nucleus -- he made no attempt to show WHY this was so.

Louis de Broglie postulated that electron movement could be described as a wave, with the wavelength being equal to Planck's Constant divided by the electron's momentum. Starting with this postulate, one can derive that the only permitted radial orbits of an electron are those with a circumference equal to a multiple of these wavelengths.

Erwin Schrodinger devised a mathematical formula for which one could derive these energy levels -- and a lot more. As such, Schrodinger's Equation was more fundamental to our understanding of sub-atomic reality. Schrondinger viewed his wave function (more precisely, the product of the wave function) as the charge density of a smeared-out electron.

Although you didn't ask, it was Max Born who showed that the wave-function product was, instead, the probability of finding a point-like electron at a specific place and time.

Answer 2

Schrodinger and De Broglie introduced the concept of wave-particle duality and developed mathematical equations (such as the Schrodinger equation) to describe the behavior of electrons in an atom. This led to the development of quantum mechanics, which allowed for a more accurate description of electron behavior compared to Bohr's model. These contributions helped explain phenomena that the Bohr model could not, such as electron tunneling and the probabilistic nature of electron behavior.