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Absorption spectrum

 
Absorption Spectrum

 
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Absorption spectrum
 
 
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A material's absorption spectrum shows the fraction of incident electromagnetic radiation
Electromagnetic radiation

Electromagnetic radiation takes the form of wave propagation waves in a vacuum or in matter. EM radiation has an electric field and magnetic field component which oscillate in phase perpendicular to each other and to the direction of energy Wave propagation....
 absorbed by the material over a range of frequencies. An absorption spectrum is, in a sense, the opposite of an emission spectrum
Emission spectrum

The emission spectrum of an Chemical element or Chemical compound is the relative intensity of electromagnetic radiation of each frequency Emission by atoms or molecules of that element or compound when they are excited....
. Every chemical element
Chemical element

A chemical element is a type of atom that is distinguished by its atomic number; that is, by the number of protons in its atomic nucleus. The term is also used to refer to a pure chemical Chemical substance composed of atoms with the same number of protons....
 has absorption lines at several particular wavelength
Wavelength

In physics, wavelength is the distance between repeating units of a propagating wave of a given frequency. It is commonly designated by the Greek language letter lambda ....
s corresponding to the differences between the energy levels of its atomic orbitals. For example, an object that absorbs blue
Blue

Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440?490 Nanometre....
, green
Green

Green is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520?570-Nanometre....
 and yellow
Yellow

Yellow is the color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M cone cells of the retina about equally, but does not significantly stimulate the S cone cells; that is, light with much red and green but not very much blue....
 light will appear red
Red

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?740 Nanometer....
 when viewed under white light.






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A material's absorption spectrum shows the fraction of incident electromagnetic radiation
Electromagnetic radiation

Electromagnetic radiation takes the form of wave propagation waves in a vacuum or in matter. EM radiation has an electric field and magnetic field component which oscillate in phase perpendicular to each other and to the direction of energy Wave propagation....
 absorbed by the material over a range of frequencies. An absorption spectrum is, in a sense, the opposite of an emission spectrum
Emission spectrum

The emission spectrum of an Chemical element or Chemical compound is the relative intensity of electromagnetic radiation of each frequency Emission by atoms or molecules of that element or compound when they are excited....
. Every chemical element
Chemical element

A chemical element is a type of atom that is distinguished by its atomic number; that is, by the number of protons in its atomic nucleus. The term is also used to refer to a pure chemical Chemical substance composed of atoms with the same number of protons....
 has absorption lines at several particular wavelength
Wavelength

In physics, wavelength is the distance between repeating units of a propagating wave of a given frequency. It is commonly designated by the Greek language letter lambda ....
s corresponding to the differences between the energy levels of its atomic orbitals. For example, an object that absorbs blue
Blue

Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440?490 Nanometre....
, green
Green

Green is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520?570-Nanometre....
 and yellow
Yellow

Yellow is the color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M cone cells of the retina about equally, but does not significantly stimulate the S cone cells; that is, light with much red and green but not very much blue....
 light will appear red
Red

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?740 Nanometer....
 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 star
Star

A star is a massive, luminous ball of Plasma that is held together by its own gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth....
s and other gaseous objects which cannot be measured directly.
Cumulative Absorption Spectrum Hubble Telescope

See also

  • Fraunhofer lines
  • Spectroscopy
    Spectroscopy

    Spectroscopy was originally the study of the interaction between radiation and matter as a function of wavelength . In fact, historically, spectroscopy referred to the use of visible light dispersed according to its wavelength, e.g....
  • Absorption spectroscopy
    Absorption spectroscopy

    Absorption spectroscopy refers to a range of techniques employing the interaction of electromagnetic radiation with matter. In absorption spectroscopy, the intensity of a beam of light measured before and after interaction with a sample is compared....
  • Densitometry
    Densitometry

    Densitometry is the quantitative measurement of optical density in light-sensitive materials, such as photographic paper or Photographic film, due to exposure to light....
  • cf. Emission spectrum
    Emission spectrum

    The emission spectrum of an Chemical element or Chemical compound is the relative intensity of electromagnetic radiation of each frequency Emission by atoms or molecules of that element or compound when they are excited....
  • X-ray absorption spectroscopy
  • Absorption (electromagnetic radiation)
    Absorption (electromagnetic radiation)

    In physics, absorption of electromagnetic radiation is the way by which the energy of a photon is taken up by matter, typically the electrons of an atom....
  • HITRAN
    HITRAN

    HITRAN - HITRAN is a compilation of spectroscopic parameters that a variety of computer codes use to predict and simulate the transmittance and Emission of light in the atmosphere....


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