The Siegbahn notation is used to name the spectral lines that are characteristic to elements. It was created by Manne Siegbahn. Spectroscopy is the study of spectra, ie. ... Karl Manne Georg Siegbahn (December 3, 1886 - September 26, 1978) was a Swedish physicist, who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1924 for his discoveries and research in the field of X-ray spectroscopy. ...
The characteristic spectral lines correspond to electronic transitions (electrons of the atom "jump" from a level to the other). In the case of an absorption line, the electron jumps from a low energy level to a high energy level; in the case of an emission line, the electron jumps from a high energy level to a low energy level. Properties The electron is a subatomic particle. ... Properties For alternative meanings see atom (disambiguation). ...
The table below show the correspondance between the name of a few lines and the electronic levels.
Siegbahn notation
Low energy level
High energy level
Name of the line
K (1S0)
L3 (2P3/2)
Kα1
L2 (2P1/2)
Kα2
M3 (3P3/2)
Kβ1
L3 (2P3/2)
M5 (3D5/2)
Lα1
L2 (2P1/2)
M4 (3D3/2)
Lβ1
M5 (3D5/2)
N7 (5P3/2)
Mα1
This notation is widely used in spectroscopy, but the IUPAC (International union of pure and applied chemistry) recommends another notation. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is an international non-governmental organization devoted to the advancement of chemistry. ... IUPAC logo The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is an international non-governmental organization devoted to the advancement of chemistry. ...
Correspondance between the IUPAC Siegbahn notations
Karl Manne Georg Siegbahn (December 3, 1886 - September 26, 1978) was a Swedish physicist, who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1924 for his discoveries and research in the field of X-ray spectroscopy.
Karl Manne Georg Siegbahn obtained his Ph.D. at the Lund University in 1911, his thesis was titled Magnetische Feldmessungen (magnetic field measurements).
His son Kai Siegbahn received the Nobel Prize in Physics in the year 1981.
K and L were originally called B and A, but were later renamed to leave room for hypothetical spectral lines that were never discovered.) These letters were later found to correspond to the n-values 1, 2, 3, etc. They are used in the spectroscopic Siegbahnnotation.
The name for electron shells originates from the Bohr model, in which groups of electrons were believed to orbit the nucleus at certain distances, so that their orbits formed "shells".
The notation 's', 'p', 'd', and 'f' originate from a now-discredited system of categorizing spectral lines as "sharp", "principal", "diffuse", or "fundamental", based on their observed fine structure.
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