Feb 14, 2017 | Glossary of Spectroscopy Terms, Properties of Light
A photon is a quantized amount of electromagnetic radiation that behaves like a particle. Each photon has a frequency, ν ,and a wavelength, λ. The energy of a photon is E=hν where h is Planck’s constant. On diagrams, they will often be represented as a wave...
Feb 14, 2017 | Glossary of Spectroscopy Terms, Properties of Light
Absorption is a process where an atom or molecule absorbs energy to promote an electron into a higher energy level. Often, the energy is delivered by a photon. The photon must have the same energy as the difference between the energy levels in the atom or molecule....
Feb 14, 2017 | Glossary of Spectroscopy Terms, Properties of Light
Electromagnetic radiation is a form of energy generated by an electromagnetic field. It consists of waves that propagate through space carrying this energy. The most familiar type of electromagnetic radiation is visible light. This represents only a small fraction of...
Feb 14, 2017 | Glossary of Spectroscopy Terms, Properties of Light
The electromagnetic spectrum is the range of wavelengths of known electromagnetic radiation. It has been divided into sections, such as visible light and microwaves. While the lines between the sections are not well defined, StellarNet uses the following divisions for...