A How the emission spectra can be affected by E/M field?

[ORF]

Hello

A friend of mine asked me if he could improve the (amateur) characterization of minerals by studying the absorption spectra during the application of a magnetic field.

I thought that maybe the electron cyclotron resonance could work, but then I noticed that very low temperatures are needed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron_cyclotron_resonance#In_condensed_matter_physics

So, my question is: a static/variable electric/magnetic field could affect the emission/absorption spectra?

Thank you for your time.

Greetings

 

[blue_leaf77]

When a static magnetic field is applied to a medium, the molecules and atoms inside it are going to experience Zeeman effect where the splitting occurs between states of different magnetic quantum number but in the same angular momentum. The splitting is proportional to the applied magnetic field strength. So, yes there will be modification in the absorption spectrum.
The same thing also happens when static electric field is applied for which the effect is known as Stark effect. The rearrangement of states in Stark effect is somehow more complicated than that in Zeeman effect.

 

[ZapperZ]

Hello

A friend of mine asked me if he could improve the (amateur) characterization of minerals by studying the absorption spectra during the application of a magnetic field.

Did he explain the impetus for asking that? I mean, it can't just come to him in a dream.

Other than breaking degeneracy, I don't know how the application of such fields would "improve the characterization of minerals". If it is simply a matter of identifying elements in the minerals, then how would the application of such fields do this? We already have quite a number of sensitive techniques to identify elemental composition and the relative amount. What else would he need that will require such improvements? Besides, what particular technique was he using that he'd like to apply the fields to? Applying such fields to any electron spectroscopy experiments (such as XPS) will be disastrous.

Zz.

 

[ORF]

Hello

@blue_leaf77: thank you, I didn't remember the Stark effect.

@ZapperZ : I think he wants to "improve" the results of his amateur spectrometer... I don't know if this could help, so I asked. Why applying such fields to any electron spectroscopy experiments (such as XPS) will be disastrous?

Thank you for your time :)

Greetings.

 

[ZapperZ]

Hello

@blue_leaf77: thank you, I didn't remember the Stark effect.

@ZapperZ : I think he wants to "improve" the results of his amateur spectrometer... I don't know if this could help, so I asked. Why applying such fields to any electron spectroscopy experiments (such as XPS) will be disastrous?

When one performs any electron spectroscopy, one wants to do it in a magnetic/electric field-free environment, because one wants to preserve the energy and momentum of the outgoing electrons before it enters the electron analyzer. In fact, most vacuum vessels where such experiments are performed are often lined with mu-metal to shield the contents from external fields.

Thus, introducing any external field will simply destroy the information that was carried by the emitted electrons, which defeats the whole purpose of doing electron spectroscopy.

Zz.