PHYSICS · Multi-part · Fermi University Physics · Atomic, Molecular & Optical Physics · One-electron atoms and the origins of atomic structure · Many-electron atoms and the periodic table
Reading the Spectrum, Ch Lines, series and the term diagram: what a spectrometer measures
Problem
With the ionisation limit set to zero, sodium's ground term lies Tg=41449cm−1 below it, so 41449cm−1 is also the wavenumber that just ionises the atom from its ground level. A second sodium series converges on a slightly different limit, T=24476cm−1 (distinct from the 24493cm−1 limit already used for the longer-wavelength yellow line).
((a)) Use the combination principle to predict the wavenumber and vacuum wavelength of the sodium yellow line built from these two term values.
((b)) State whether this is the shorter- or longer-wavelength member of the sodium doublet, compared with the line already derived from the 24493cm−1 limit.