Article
Article
Fine structure (spectral lines)
Article By:
Jenkins, Francis A. Formerly, Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California.
Watson, William W. Formerly, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.
Last reviewed:November 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.257400
A term referring to the closely spaced groups of lines observed in the spectra of the lightest elements, notably hydrogen and helium. The components of any one such group are characterized by identical values of the principal quantum number n, but different values of the azimuthal quantum number l and the angular momentum quantum number j.
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