Lyman series, hydrogen spectrum

Procedure. Use Mathcad, QLLSQ, or TableCurve (or, preferably, all three) to determine a value of the ionization energy of hydrogen from the wave numbers in Table 3-4 taken from spectroscopic studies of the Lyman series of the hydrogen spectrum where ni = 1. 

Lyman series A series of lines in the spectrum of atomic hydrogen in which the transitions are to orbitals with n = l. 

The discovery of two other series of emission lines of hydrogen came later. They are named for their discoverers the Lyman series in the ultraviolet range and Paschen series in the infrared region. Although formulas were devised to calculate the spectral lines, the physics behind the math was not understood until Niels Bohr proposed his quantized atom. Suddenly, the emission spectrum of hydrogen made sense. Each line represented the energy released when an excited electron went from a higher quantum state to a lower one. 

Eventually, other series of lines were found in other regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The Lyman series was observed in the ultraviolet region, whereas the Paschen, Brackett, and Pfund series were observed in the infrared region of the spectrum. All of these lines were observed as they were emitted from excited atoms, so together they constitute the emission spectrum or line spectrum of hydrogen atoms. 

Lyman series The series of the hydrogen atom spectrum with n = 1 as the starting level. 

Lyman series spect A group of lines in the ultraviolet spectrum of hydrogen covering the wavelengths of 121.5-91.2 nanometers. iT-mon, sir-ez lyonium ion chem The cation that is produced when a solvent molecule is protonated. iT an-e-om, T-3n ... 

Subsequent to the discovery of the Balmer series of lines in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum, it was found that many other spectral lines are also present in nonvisible regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Hydrogen, for example, shows a series of spectral lines called the Lyman series in the ultraviolet region and still other series (the Paschen, Brackett, and Pfund series) in the infrared region. 

What are the two longest-wavelength lines (in nanometers) in the Lyman series of the hydrogen spectrum ... 

Eventually, this series of lines became known as the Balmer series. Balmer wondered whether his little formula might be extended to study the spectra of other elements. He knew similar patterns exist in the line spectra of many elements. He also wondered about spectral lines that the human eye can t see. A few years later, in 1906, additional series of lines were in fact discovered for hydrogen in the ultraviolet region of the spectrum. These were called the Lyman series after their discoverer, Theodore Lyman. Other famous series are the Paschen series, named after German scientist Friedrich Paschen, the Brackett series, named after U.S. scientist F. S. Brackett, and the wonderful Pfund series, named after U.S. scientist August Herman Pfund. The Paschen, Brackett, and Pfund series lie in the infrared region. ... 

As a result of his work, the lines in the visible spectrum are known as the Balmer series. The other series of lines in the atomic emission spectrum of hydrogen were discovered later (the next wasn t discovered until 1908). These series are named after the scientists who discovered them for example, the series in the ultraviolet region is known as the Lyman series after Theodore Lyman. 

FIGURE 19. (Courtesy of Kurt Adelberger). An illustration of the principles behind the Lyman break technique. Hot stars have flat far-UV continua, but emit fewer photons below 912 A, the limit of the Lyman series of hydrogen (top panel). These photons are also efficiently absorbed by any H I associated with the sites of star formation (middle panel) and have a short mean free path—typically only 40 A—in the IGM at z = 3. Consequently, when observed from Earth (bottom panel), the spectrum of a star forming galaxy at z cs 3 exhibits a marked break near 4000 A. With appropriately chosen broad-band filters, this spectral discontinuity gives rise to characteristic colours objects at these redshifts appear blue in (G — 72.) and red in ([/ — G). For this reason, such galaxies are sometimes referred to as [/-dropouts. A more quantitative description of the Lyman break technique can be found in Steidel, Pettini, Hamilton (1995). 

The purpose of the present paper is to obtain expressions for the intensifies in the continuous spectrum of atomic hydrogen suitable for numerical calculations. This purpose is accomplished by means of a new integral representation for the wave function in this special case. As examples of application, we calculate the absorption spectra of hydrogen beyond the limits of the Balmer and of the Lyman series as well as certain limiting values of the absorption. 

Further support for Bohr s theory came from the discovery of line series in the hydrogen spectrum for which the other integer m took values other than 2. The far ultra-violet series for which m — l has already been mentioned. Lyman announced the discovery of the first two members a year after Bohr s paper, recognizing the close connection between the wavelengths of these lines and Balmer s formula. Balmer himself had asked whether ther- might not exist a series for which m — 3, and Paschen had observed its first two members in the infra-red in 1908 [101], The series with m = 4 was found by Brackett in 1922 [18], with ra — 5 by Pfund in 1924 [108], and with m = 6 by Humphreys in 1953 [66]. It is to be understood that in all these series, the running integer n takes (m +1) as its first value. 

Fig. 1.2 Part of the emission spectrum of atomic hydrogen. Groups of lines have particular names, e.g. Balmer and Lyman series.

Lyman series - The series of fines in the spectrum of the hydrogen atom which corresponds to transitions between the ground state (principal quantum number n = l) and successive excited states. The wavelengths are given by 1/X = where... 

The equations of Bohr s theory are in agreement with the observed frequencies in the hydrogen spectrum, as are the observed spectral series— Lyman series (when electrons excited to higher levels relax to the n 1 state) and Balmer series (when electrons excited to higher levels relax to the n 2 state, and so on). Working backward, the observations can also be used to determine the value of Planck s constant. The value obtained in this way was found to be in agreement with the result deduced from the blackbody radiation and photoelectric effect. ... 

Figure 5.12 shows that, unlike rungs on a ladder, however, the hydrogen atom s energy levels are not evenly spaced. Figure 5.12 also illustrates the four electron transitions that account for visible lines in hydrogen s atomic emission spectrum, shown in Figure 5.8. Electron transitions from higher-energy orbits to the second orbit account for all of hydrogen s visible lines, which form the Balmer series. Other electron transitions have been measured that are not visible, such as the Lyman series (ultraviolet), in which electrons drop into the n = I orbit, and the Paschen series (infrared), in which electrons drop into the n = 3 orbit.

What electron transitions account for the Balmer series Hydrogen s emission spectrum comprises three series of lines. Some wavelengths are ultraviolet (Lyman series) and infrared (Paschen series). Visible wavelengths comprise the Balmer series. The Bohr atomic model attributes these spectral lines to transitions from higher-energy states with electron orbits in which n = n, to lower-energy states with smaller electron orbits in which n = nf. 

The simplest type of electronic spectra result from transitions within the simplest atom, hydrogen. The emission spectrum of the hydrogen atom at ultraviolet wavelengths consists of a series of emission peaks (or in a photographic emulsion, dark lines) called the Lyman series. 

Lyman series /ly-man/ See hydrogen atom spectrum. It is named for the American physicist Theodore Lyman (1874-1954). 

Lyman series the lines from the ultraviolet spectrum of the hydrogen... 

---