Atomic Electron Jump Wavelengths

[philip porhammer]

TL;DR Summary

what is the shortest wavelength of light that an atom can radiate by electrons jumping shells, and longest wave length

what is the shortest wavelength of light that an atom can radiate by electrons jumping shells, and longest wave length

 

[.Scott]

I don't know for sure, but I checked the available laser frequencies.
At this site: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Commercial_laser_lines.svg
If shows Flourine ($F_2$) at 157nm and Methanol at 571,669um.
Of course, neither of those are "atoms".
So: Argon (Ar+) at 488 nm and Iodine at 1315um.
It also shows Nitrogen at 337.1nm, but I strongly suspect that is $N_2$, not atomic Nitrogen.

Of course, there are going to be other emissions that cannot be lased for practical reasons.

 

[philip porhammer]

what is the process that creates Gama rays? or, is a photon considered to have a wave length range?

 

[.Scott]

I noticed that Helium has an emission line at 234nm.

 

[.Scott]

what is the process that creates Gama rays? or, is a photon considered to have a wave length range?

Gamma rays are photons. They have wavelengths less than 10 picometers and are too powerful to be created chemically.
Suggest you read the wiki article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma_ray

 

[philip porhammer]

thanks, I have been wondering about this for awhile

 

[mfb]

Take the heaviest atom you can get, remove all electrons and add one in a high shell, let that electron go directly to the innermost shell. Neglecting relativistic effects you get up to $Z^2 \cdot 13.6 eV$ from these transitions where Z is the charge of the nucleus (=element number), in practice relativistic effects will change that energy. All these are considered x-rays based on their origin, while gamma rays come from transitions in the nucleus. Just a naming convention.

The longest wavelength: There is no such thing, just practical limits. Transitions between very high shells have very low associated energies.

 

[geoelectronics]

Summary: what is the shortest wavelength of light that an atom can radiate by electrons jumping shells,

If by "light" you mean electromagnetic photons, and on Earth in the 21st century, then the simple answer is 136.08 kilo-electron-Volts (keV). As heavier elements are discovered, this value will rise accordingly as the Ka shell electron's binding energy rises.
That accounts for electrons jumping shells only.
Which is the characteristic Ka shell X-Ray energy of Fermium.
136.08 keV = 3.2904e+13 MHz (frequency) = 9.1111e-12 m (wavelength).

If you are referring to electrons that may leave the atom, then there is no upper limit.

If you want to explore induced shell jumping in an everyday metrology setting, study the practice of "XRF". This field also involves WHY electrons jump shells.

George Dowell

 

[mfb]

If by "light" you mean electromagnetic photons, and on Earth in the 21st century, then the simple answer is 136.08 kilo-electron-Volts (keV)

That is just the $K\beta$ energy of Fermium, not the highest possible transition energy. Remove all other electrons and consider a larger difference between shells, e.g. 10 -> 1, and you'll get a larger answer.

 

[geoelectronics]

That is just the $K\beta$ energy of Fermium, not the highest possible transition energy. Remove all other electrons and consider a larger difference between shells, e.g. 10 -> 1, and you'll get a larger answer.

Yes thank you I typed Ka instead of Kb. Ka= 120.6 KeV and Kb= 130.08 KeV from a Fermium "atom". I interpreted the OP question as concerning a stable atom.

"Remove all other electrons and consider a larger difference between shells,"
Interesting, you've mentioned this before, I see allowed electronic transitions from the M and L shell to the K shell all the time. Please cite a direct Q-K or P-K electronic transition text (without the usual allowed cascade through the allowed transitions), so I can study that? Thank youGeorge Dowell

 

[mfb]

Fermium is not stable and the electron configuration that allows a Kbeta transition is not stable either (that's why there is an allowed transition). Why would you limit the consideration to neutral or singly-charged atoms?

Please cite a direct Q-K or P-K electronic transition text (without the usual allowed cascade through the allowed transitions), so I can study that?

I have never seen it measured for Fermium and there is probably not enough interest in it, but the Lyman series doesn't stop somewhere.

 

[geoelectronics]

Fermium is not stable and the electron configuration that allows a Kbeta transition is not stable either (that's why there is an allowed transition). Why would you limit the consideration to neutral or singly-charged atoms?
I have never seen it measured for Fermium and there is probably not enough interest in it, but the Lyman series doesn't stop somewhere.

Thanks I understand now. I chose Fermium because I tried to respond correctly to the poster's actual question as I interpreted it. The answer required the heaviest "tested/known" element, one that could emit the highest frequency "light", and on my periodic table of Binding Energies, that's Fermium.

Perhaps you can cite a N-K, O-K, P-K or any other allowed and especially common and electronic transition.

If it's happening, it should be charted somewhere, if you don't have time perhaps another mentor will help with this.Thank you for your time.
George Dowell

 

[Vanadium 50]

and observable-in-a-high-school-lab electronic transition.

Adding conditions not present in the original question is seldom helpful.

Once it is cleared up, we need to talk about e-p annihilation, I'm still looking for basic peer reviewed information proving or disproving

That has nothing to do with this question.

t would be very simple to observe and test with tools such as the LHC. Unfortunately in the present time on the internet, most modern (that is up-to-date) technical books and papers are located in pay-for-view or subscription-only websites, making them unavailable to the ordinary student.

Not a single LHC paper is (exclusively) behind a paywall. Making false statements is not helping your credibility.

The OP's question has a simple answer - it's the limit of the Lyman series for hydrogenic atoms, and it's for single-electron ions:

$$\lambda = \frac{1}{91.175Z^2}$$

(units are nanometers)

What is an acceptable Z is arguable. Certainly fermium doesn't meet the rather odd high-school criterion, but bismuth certainly does. Oganesson (Z=118) certainly lives long enough to form a single-electron ion.

 

[geoelectronics]

Adding conditions not present in the original question is seldom helpful.
That has nothing to do with this question.
Not a single LHC paper is (exclusively) behind a paywall. Making false statements is not helping your credibility.

The OP's question has a simple answer - it's the limit of the Lyman series for hydrogenic atoms, and it's for single-electron ions:

$$\lambda = \frac{1}{91.175Z^2}$$

(units are nanometers)

What is an acceptable Z is arguable. Certainly fermium doesn't meet the rather odd high-school criterion, but bismuth certainly does. Oganesson (Z=118) certainly lives long enough to form a single-electron ion.

Thank you. I edited per your guidance, thank you. I want to do this right, it is very important to me and certainly am willing to understand and follow any and all rules.. George Dowell