Atomic processes
Radiation can be emitted or absorbed when electrons make
transitions between different states:
Bound-bound: electron moves between two bound states
(orbitals) in an atom or ion. Photon is emitted or absorbed.
Bound-free:
• Bound -> unbound: ionization
• Unbound -> bound: recombination
Free-free: free electron gains energy by absorbing a photon
as it passes near an ion, or loses energy by emitting a photon.
Called bremsstrahlung.
ASTR 3730: Fall 2003
Bound-bound transitions
Transitions between two atomic energy levels:
Ei
g
Ej
Energy of the emitted / absorbed photon is the difference
between the energies of the two levels:
hn = E i - E j
†
ASTR 3730: Fall 2003
Hydrogen energy levels
E=0 Energy levels are labeled
by n - the principal quantum
number.
n=3 E=-1.5eV
Lowest level, n=1, is the
ground state.
n=2 E=-3.4eV
R
En = - 2
n
where R=13.6 eV is a
constant.
†
n-th energy level has
n=1 E=-13.6eV
GROUND STATE 2n2 quantum states, which
are degenerate (same E).
ASTR 3730: Fall 2003
Hydrogen spectrum
Terminology:
• Transitions involving n=1,2,3,4
n=3 are part of the Lyman, Balmer,
Balmer Paschen, Brackett series.
spectrum • Different transitions are labeled
n=2 with Greek letters - e.g. the
Lyman a line arises from the
n=2 to n=1 transition.
Lyman
• Balmer series includes Ha, Hb
spectrum
etc.
n=1
GROUND STATE
ASTR 3730: Fall 2003
Even for H - simplest atom - huge number of pairs of energy
levels with different DE and hence different n. How do we
decide which lines we will see?
• At particular T, some levels will have a higher probability
of being occupied than others.
• Probability of some transitions is greater than others.
• Not all transitions are possible (selection rules).
Because of conservation laws - e.g. since a photon
carries angular momentum cannot make a transition
between two states with zero angular momentum by
emitting one photon.
ASTR 3730: Fall 2003
Boltzmann’s Law
Calculating the populations of energy levels is difficult if the
gas is not in local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). In LTE,
very easy.
At temperature T, populations n1 and n2 of any two energy
levels are:
n 2 g2 -(E 2 -E1 ) kT
= e
n1 g1
g1 and g2 are the statistical weights of the two levels - allow
for the fact that some energy levels are degenerate. For
hydrogen:†
2
gn = 2n
ASTR 3730: Fall 2003
†
21cm radiation
Ground state of hydrogen (n=1) has 2 x 12 = 2 states.
Correspond to different orientations of the electron spin
relative to the proton spin.
Very slightly different energies - hyperfine splitting.
Energy difference corresponds to a frequency of 1420 MHz,
or 21cm wavelength.
Very important for radio astronomy, because neutral hydrogen
is so abundant in the Universe.
ASTR 3730: Fall 2003
Absorption line and emission line spectra
Temperature of the Solar photosphere is ~6000K. Lots of
spectral lines of different elements at this T.
Optical spectrum is an absorption line spectrum - see dark
absorption lines superimposed on a bright continuum.
Small section of the Solar
spectrum showing two strong
lines due to sodium.
ASTR 3730: Fall 2003
Nebulae of different sorts typically show emission line
spectra:
Spectral lines are stronger than the continuum
Why this difference?
ASTR 3730: Fall 2003
Use result we derived last time - consider radiation passing
through a hot cloud of gas in thermal equilibrium:
I0 In(t)
Found:
-tn -tn
In (t n ) = I0e + Bn (1- e )
Suppose no intensity entering the cloud, I0 = 0. If the cloud
is very optically thin:
† e-tn ª 1- t n
In (t n ) = Bn (1-1+ t n ) = t n Bn
ASTR 3730: Fall 2003
Optical depth is related to the absorption coefficient via:
t n = a n Ds (for constant a)
Means that:
In = t n Bn µ a n Bn
Intensity is†large at frequencies where the absorption
coefficient is large.
For a hot gas,†absorption coefficient is large at the frequencies
of the spectral lines.
For an optically thin medium such as a nebula,
expect an emission line spectrum with large
intensity at the frequencies where an is large.
ASTR 3730: Fall 2003
