What is Spectral lines: Definition and 54 Discussions

A spectral line is a dark or bright line in an otherwise uniform and continuous spectrum, resulting from emission or absorption of light in a narrow frequency range, compared with the nearby frequencies. Spectral lines are often used to identify atoms and molecules. These "fingerprints" can be compared to the previously collected "fingerprints" of atoms and molecules, and are thus used to identify the atomic and molecular components of stars and planets, which would otherwise be impossible.

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  1. U

    Spectral Lines - What Determines Their Width?

    I don't really understand how we observe spectral lines of a particular element and why they are there? Can anyone help? Thanks.
  2. J

    Rotational translations between L values and spectral lines

    The question: Given that w=h-bar(L+1)/I. Suppose that we observe spectral lines from the HCl molecule at wave numbers (in cm^-1) 85.03, 103.73, 124.30, 145.03, 165,51 and 185.86 (wavenumber here is simply in the inverse wavelength lambda^-1). What L values do these lines correspond to? My...
  3. PeteGt

    Where Can I Find Spectral Lines for the Bohr Atom?

    can anyone give me some good sites for spectral lines and understand how and why spectra occur. Possibly only using the bohr atom. I am a chemistry teacher in maryland, and I'm trying to find some good places so my students could do a search or look at some things online. any ideas...
  4. turin

    Temperature and spectral lines

    I'm trying to understand this application of thermodynamics to astronomical inferrence. As I understand it, the temperature of a diffuse gas cloud in distant space can be inferred from the relative intensities of the spectral lines (correct?) which indicates the distribution of the population...
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