Re: Energy level diagrams

[Bernard Cleyet <anngeorg@PACBELL.NET>]

I'm still waiting for p and f.  I Googled for about 10' and then gave
up.  Anyone else know?

bc

Rick Swanson wrote:

> The s, p, d, f designations offered below are correct.  The "sharp" a=
> nd "diffuse" were used because that is the way the spectral lines in =
> the series looked.  After f, the letters are alphabetical -- got hard=
> to figure out meaningful new names.
>
> The numbers associated with the letters are, of course, appropriate q=
> uantum numbers.  Most texts on atomic spectroscopy have good summary =
> descriptions of the scheme.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Rick Swanson
>
> Richard E. Swanson, Ph.D.
> Dean of Instruction
> Physics Professor
> Sandhills Community College, Pinehurst, NC 28374
> swansonr@sandhills.edu (910) 695-3715
>
>
>
> > > > jsd@AV8N.COM 06/04/04 03:31AM >>>
> carl preske wrote:
>
>
> > A question came up on another list serve and the writer would like =
> to
>
>
> > know why the energy levels are lettered.  I know why the numbers ar=
> e
>
>
> > used for hydrogen but who set up the lettering scheme.
>
> s,p,d,f stand for sharp, principal, diffuse, fundamental.
> The names (and abbreviations) come from the earliest work
> in spectroscopy -- any effort to sort out the various
> spectral lines, long before there was any understanding
> of atomic structure.
>
>   http://www.google.com/search?q=3Dsharp+principal+diffuse=20
>   http://w3.msi.vxu.se/~pku/Rydberg/LifeWork.html