How
is light created?
All forms of E.M. radiation are created when an atom or molecule
drops from a higher energy state to a lower one. The loss of energy which occurs
is emitted in the form of radiation with an energy which exactly matches this
drop.
When the
electron gains energy it moves to a higher energy level, then drops back to the
ground state releasing its excess energy as light.The upper animation shows how
blue (higher energy) light and the animation to the left shows how red (lower
energy)light is created.
Visible light
is created by electrons within atoms in an excited state returning to the ground
state (a lower energy configuration).
| Copyright © 2001 The
Science of Spectroscopy.
|
| |
