An atom absorbs a single ultraviolet photon that excites it from its ground state to…

PHYSICS · Subjective · CBSE · Physics · Atoms · Atoms

Problem

An atom absorbs a single ultraviolet photon that excites it from its ground state to a higher energy level. Shortly afterward the atom is observed to emit two visible photons in rapid succession rather than a single ultraviolet photon. Explain how the two-photon emission can conserve energy and why each emitted wavelength still appears as a discrete line in the atom’s spectrum.

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