What causes an electron cloud?

Question

Is it the electron orbital? Please help!

Answer 1

The kinetic energy (speed) of the electrons due to the temperature of the material they come from. (As in the cathode of a vacuum tube). The electrons eventually fall back into the material, because of the positive charge they leave behind, unless attracted by a greater positive charge of a nearby object (the anode in the vacuum tubes).

Answer 2

Electron clouds are created when accelerated charged particles disturb stray electrons already floating in the tube, and bounce or slingshot the electrons into the wall. When an electron hits the wall, the wall emits more electrons due to secondary emission. These electrons in turn hit another wall, releasing more and more electrons into the accelerator chamber.

The electron cloud produces a few very undesirable effects including impeding the flow of the accelerated particles, and creating a wake field which throws the particles off course.

The electron cloud is a region of negative charge surrounding an atomic nucleus that is associated with an atomic orbital. The cloud model represents a sort of history of where the electron has probably been and where it is likely to be going. This collection of traces quickly begins to resemble a cloud.

Answer 3

Perhaps you're thinking about the description of the uncertainty of electron positions as a 'cloud' of probability distribution. The electrons do orbit, but we just don't know exactly where they are.