> approximate the system by modeling it as hydrogen, regardless of what element it actually is That's fascinating. I found corresponding statements in a Wikipe

> approximate the system by modeling it as hydrogen, regardless of what element it actually is That's fascinating. I found corresponding statements in a Wikipedia article: > Rydberg atoms have a number of peculiar properties including an exaggerated response to electric and magnetic fields, long decay periods and electron wavefunctions that approximate, under some conditions, classical orbits of electrons about the nuclei. > The core electrons shield the outer electron from the electric field of the nucleus such that, from a distance, the electric potential looks identical to that experienced by the electron in a hydrogen atom.