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Re: Quantum question?



Well, I'm not familiar with the term "Pauli exclusion broadening". As
the interval between atoms in an assembly of atoms is reduced, the
atomic states are perturbed by the charges on the nearby atoms (Stark
effect). In first approximation, the lifetimes of the atomic states
are shortened and the lines broadened (Stark broadening). In a higher
level of approximation, the higher atomic states simply dissapear into
a continuum of "conduction states". You can think of this as the process
of making the lifetimes infinitely wide as the states become infinitely
close together (no more radiative transitions).
Regards,
Jack

Adam was by constitution and proclivity a scientist; I was the same, and
we loved to call ourselves by that great name...Our first memorable
scientific discovery was the law that water and like fluids run downhill,
not up.
Mark Twain, <Extract from Eve's Autobiography>

On Thu, 27 Jan 2000, Chuck Britton wrote:

At 4:57 PM -0800 1/27/00, Leigh Palmer wrote:
High pressure may
broaden an emission line in a gas discharge because collisions are
shortening the upper state lifetime. (This is distinct from doppler
broadening, of course).

I have heard astronomers refer to this 'collisional' broadening as
seen in high pressure sodium discharge lamps.

Is this mechanism also describable as 'Pauli Exclusion' broadening,
something that solid state folks use to explain the creation of
conduction 'bands' as isolated atoms come close to each other.

There is a simple 'Kroenig-Penny' model that can be programmed
eassily to illustrate the bands arising as the atoms (with their
initial discrete levels) get closer together.

-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .-
\ / \ / \ N / \ C / \ S / \ S / \ M / \ / \ /
`-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-'
Chuck Britton Education is what is left when
britton@academic.ncssm.edu you have forgotten everything
North Carolina School of Science & Math you learned in school.
(919) 286-3366 x224 Albert Einstein, 1936