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Encyclopedia > Absorption spectrum

A material's absorption spectrum shows the fraction of incident electromagnetic radiation absorbed by the material over a range of frequencies. An absorption spectrum is, in a sense, the inverse of an emission spectrum. Every chemical element has absorption lines at several particular wavelengths corresponding to the differences between the energy levels of its atomic orbitals. For example, an object that absorbs blue, green and yellow light will appear red when viewed under white light. Absorption spectra can therefore be used to identify elements present in a gas or liquid. This method is used in deducing the presence of elements in stars and other gaseous objects which cannot be measured directly. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with light. ... Absorption, in optics, is the process by which the energy of a photon is taken up by another entity, for example, by an atom whose valence electrons make a transition between two electronic energy levels. ... Sine waves of various frequencies; the lower waves have higher frequencies than those above. ... A materials emission spectrum is the amount of electromagnetic radiation of each frequency it emits when it is heated (or more generally when it is excited). ... The periodic table of the chemical elements A chemical element, or element for short, is a type of atom that is defined by its atomic number; that is, by the number of protons in its nucleus. ... The wavelength is the distance between repeating units of a wave pattern. ... YOU SUCK!!!!! ... Mossy, green fountain in Wattens, Austria. ... A yellow Tulip. ... Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 625–750 nm. ... STAR is an acronym for: Organizations Society for Telescopy, Astronomy, and Radio, a non-profit New Jersey astronomy club. ...

Absorption spectrum observed by the Hubble Space Telescope

Image File history File links Cumulative-absorption-spectrum-hubble-telescope. ... Image File history File links Cumulative-absorption-spectrum-hubble-telescope. ...

Explanation

Atoms and molecules may change states when they absorb specific amounts of energy. Atomic states are defined by the arrangement of electrons in atomic orbitals. An electron in some orbital may be excited to a more energetic orbital by absorbing exactly one photon which has energy equal to the energy difference of the two orbitals. Properties For alternative meanings see atom (disambiguation). ... In science, a molecule is the smallest particle of a pure chemical substance that still retains its chemical composition and properties. ... e- redirects here. ... In chemistry, an atomic orbital is the region in which an electron may be found around a single atom. ... The word light is defined here as electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength; thus, X-rays, gamma rays, ultraviolet light, infrared radiation, microwaves, radio waves, and visible light are all forms of light. ...


Molecular states are defined by the molecule's modes of vibration and rotation. These vibrational and rotational modes are quantised, similar to the atomic orbitals, and may be excited by absorbing single photons.


In both the atomic and molecular cases, the excited states do not persist: after some random amount of time, the atoms and molecules revert back to their original, lower energy state. In atoms, the excited electron returns to a lower orbital, emitting a photon. In molecules, the vibrational or rotational mode decays, also emitting a photon.


When this decay occurs, the photon produced is not necessarily emitted in the same direction as the original photon. The most common angle of this has been shown to be about 45 degrees of the original photon[citation needed]. This applies to any situation where gases lie between a light source and an observer: the observer will see gaps in the spectrum of the light corresponding to the wavelengths of the photons which were absorbed. These gaps occur despite the re-emission of photons because the re-emitted photons are equally likely to travel in all directions, and it is statistically unlikely to travel along the original path to the observer. These gaps appear as black lines in an image of the spectrum Black cat, thought by some to cause bad luck Black is the shade of objects that do not reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum. ...


See also

Solar Fraunhofer lines In physics and optics, the Fraunhofer lines are a set of spectral lines named for the German physicist Joseph von Fraunhofer (1787--1826). ... Extremely high resolution spectrum of the Sun showing thousands of elemental absorption lines (fraunhofer lines) Spectroscopy is the study of matter and its properties by investigating light, sound, or particles that are emitted, absorbed or scattered by the matter under investigation. ... Absorption spectroscopy refers to a wide range of techniques where one measures how much light of a particular wavelength (color) is absorbed by a sample. ... Principle of spot light densitometry Densitometry is the quantitative measurement of optic density in light-sensitive materials, such as photographic film, due to exposure to light. ... A materials emission spectrum is the amount of electromagnetic radiation of each frequency it emits when it is heated (or more generally when it is excited). ... The X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy is currently a widely used technique giving information on the local structure and on the electronic states in gas-phase, molecular and condensed matter. ... In physics, absorption is the process by which the energy of a photon is taken up by another entity, for example, by an atom whose valence electrons make a transition between two electronic energy levels. ... HITRAN - HITRAN is a compilation of spectroscopic parameters that a variety of computer codes use to predict and simulate the transmission and emission of light in the atmosphere. ...

External links


  Results from FactBites:
 
Absorption (electromagnetic radiation) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (198 words)
In physics, absorption is the process by which the energy of a photon is taken up by another entity, for example, by an atom whose valence electrons make a transition between two electronic energy levels.
The absorption of light during wave propagation is often called attenuation.
For most substances, the amount of absorption varies with the wavelength of the light, leading to the appearance of colour in pigments that absorb some wavelengths but not others.
Absorption spectrum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (408 words)
A material's absorption spectrum shows the fraction of incident electromagnetic radiation absorbed by the material over a range of frequencies.
An absorption spectrum is, in a sense, the inverse of an emission spectrum.
Absorption spectra can therefore be used to identify elements present in a gas or liquid.
  More results at FactBites »


 
 

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