Spectra: Where do the emission lines come from?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the origin of emission lines in spectra observed from gases, particularly focusing on the phenomenon where increasing intensity reveals new lines. Participants explore the implications of intensity changes on spectral lines and the factors that may contribute to their visibility.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions the appearance of new lines when intensity is increased, seeking to understand their origin.
  • Another participant suggests that the lines may have always been present but were too faint to notice, possibly due to less probable transitions or contamination from different compounds.
  • A third participant requests clarification on what is meant by "turned up the intensity," indicating a need for more specific information about the observation method.
  • A fourth participant agrees with the idea that less probable transitions might be becoming visible and encourages the original poster to provide more details, including the spectrum itself.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying degrees of understanding and interpretation of the phenomenon, with no consensus reached on the exact cause of the new lines or the specifics of the observation method.

Contextual Notes

There is a lack of detailed information regarding the experimental setup and the specific nature of the intensity changes, which may affect the interpretation of the spectral lines.

nukeman
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Im just trying to figure something out here. Iv been working on some spectra stuff.

Now, when I look at a gas, I see the spectra, but if I turn up the intesnsity, new lines appear? Where do these lines come from, as I am looking at the same game, just turned up intensity?
 
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Not sure if I understand what you mean, but I guess these lines were there all the time, they were just less intense. Could be they are from less probable transitions, or from different compounds contaminating the sample.
 
You'll have to enlighten us as to what "turned up the intensity" means. Brightness knob on the monitor?
 
You could give us more details, but it seems to me that less probable transitions are starting to show up. But seriously, give us more detail, posting the spectrum would be nice.
 

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