Describe the action that causes an emission spectrum, including: The action that

Question

Describe the action that causes an emission spectrum, including:

The action that needs to be taken to create the emission spectrum.

Describe energy levels in atoms.

Explain what happens to an electron at the atomic level in an atom experiencing absorption.

Explain how spectra allow astronomers to determine the chemical composition of stars and nebulae.

Explain why dark matter is called dark and how it differs from ordinary matter.

Describe the effects of the propagation of light in various astrophysical environments.

Explanation / Answer

a) Emission spectrum is caused by the photon emission of excited atoms. In an excited atom, the electrons are in higher orbital state instead of ground state. When these electrons fall back to ground state they emit energy in the form of photon emission. The different frequencies observed is due to the different permutations possible and different initial and final energy states. To create emission spectrum, you need to excite the sample.

b) Energy levels are the specific orbitals that an electron in an atom can occupy. The difference in energy levels gives us the energy of photon released

c) In an atom experiencing absorption, the electron absorbs the photon and goes from lower to higher energy orbitals. But, only if the energy provided is equivalent to the difference of energy between orbitals.

d) Each element has a specific emission spectrum. So by observing the emission spectra of stars and nebulae, they can know which frequencies are being emitted and hence pinpoint which element are present in the star ir nebulae.

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