The discussion focuses on the factors determining the color of light emitted when electrons transition between energy levels in an atom. The emitted light's frequency, described by the equation E = hν, is directly proportional to the energy of the photon released. While single transitions can produce monochromatic light, as seen in lasers, most emissions result in a spectrum due to energy uncertainty during interactions with electromagnetic radiation. Coherency also plays a role, distinguishing spontaneous emission from stimulated emission.
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If there is just a single possible transition, all light will have the same color. That is rarely the case, lasers are the most notable example.Klupa said:Why isn't all the light emitted the same colour?
In addition to the frequency or color mentioned by the others, the coherency can also be one of the factors discriminating between the so-called spontaneous emission and stimulated emission. In the former, the emitted photons are incoherent whereas in the latter they are coherent which is why lasers work the way we know it today.Klupa said:What determines the type of light emitted when electrons move down electron shells and emit energy?
When only two levels are involved in the transition, ideally the emitted light will have only one color. But due to the uncertainty in energy which arises the moment the atom interacts with EM radiation, the emitted light will have slightly broadened spectrum, i.e. it contains other colors with lower intensity than that which corresponds to the energy difference between the two levels.Klupa said:Why isn't all the light emitted the same colour?