Emission Spectral Lines Indicators of Magnetic Strength/Spin

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A couple of weeks ago in chemistry lab, we experimented with atomic spectra. The observations I recorded in my lab book were distinctively different and I tried my best to draw and color accurate representations.

The Neon emission spectra consisted of light with strong reds, oranges, and yellows. They tended to phase into each other with one strong color line of red in the center of the red area, one strong color line of orange in the orange area, and one strong color line of yellow in the yellow area. There were no observable dark areas separating the colors. (It was very beautiful)

The Helium emission spectral lines were much different. There were large dark areas between the color lines. The colors were strong and compacted. They did not phase into each other. I observed red, yellow, green, and purple. (It was very beautiful too)

There are only two possible spin values allowed for an electron, +1/2 and -1/2. The spin is responsible for the magnetic field within the electron. The two opposite directions of spin produce oppositely directed magnetic fields. The two spinning magnetic fields generate the splitting of the spectral lines into closely spaced pairs.

So I have this thought that by observing the differences in spectral lines you could deduce the direction of the spin and the strength of the magnetism in an electron.

Does anyone know if this is the case? And if so, how are the observations organized? Is there any literature which discusses this phenomenon? I would like to read more about it. If there is any math to support this thought, I would like to have knowledge of this too. I have been very careful to record all of the math pertaining to the lab experiment into my lab book. It would be really cool to add this information with the supporting math to my records. [The lab book has already been graded and this is not a class assignment.]

Thank you, so very much.

Cyndi

I think when you're looking at a pair of spectral lines, you're seeing the composite results from very many electrons, half with one spin, half with the other, generating very many photons. To determine the spin of a single electron you'd need a very sensitive detector which would record the energy of just one photon. I'm not sure (sorry, but I'm very rusty) whether quantum mechanical effects take effect when you do that. I'd like to know now though.

Thank you Ambivalence for posting a reply in my thread.

Here is my thought:

Only two electrons to each orbital. Each electron spins in an opposite direction. Electrons carry electrical current. The electrical current spinning in opposite directions creates a magnetic field. The stronger the magnetic field, the tighter the spectral lines. The protons actually are responsible for photon emission. One proton spinning up releases a quark. One proton spinning down releases a gluon. The quark and the gluon collide and WHAM a photon is born! (and some additional quarks)

Okay, but the angle of the orbit also plays a role in determining the intensity of the magnetism as well. Spin coupling…..the nucleus of an atom moves (rotates) about 2000 times slower than the orbital electrons, but the nucleus still has the ability to affect the magnetic field because it creates its own electrical energy (weakly). The result is the splitting of spectral lines as the result of the interaction between the magnetic moments of electrons and atomic nuclei (hyperfine structure). So under truly closer inspection of spectral lines, there can be many smaller lines held tightly together by the magnetism which will look to the observer as one spectral line.

Okay, so having read about spintronics, and the Zeeman effect, I am more convinced than ever you could recognize certain characteristics about the atom based on how tightly held together a spectral line might be…..but it would kind of be pointless to do so because each element is unique to it’s own spectral lines, which means there really isn’t a use for it……well maybe in astronomy/cosmology? It is something to consider further!

maybe the neon is moving away from you at a relativistic velocity (or possible towards you...

Thanks Pakled.

Red light in the doppler affect moves away, blue light means coming toward you.

Since I posted this thought (I know it is a little out-of-the-box, sorry about that) I have been layering together the way in which an atom works. It seems like each discipline of science that examines the interaction of particles does so from a different perspective.

Chemistry looks specifically at how an atom (and its particles) bond. In order to do this chemists examine all of elements and their specific characteristics. It touches into the spectra. Spin is important because it defines the magnetic field. Orbitals are important because the slope of an angle affects the position of the electron pairs which results in an extended affect on the electrical charges which produce the magentic field which controls how tightly the magnetic lines are held in place.

Particle physics looks at an atom from a different perspective than chemistry in that it is interested in how the nucleus of an atom can vibrate so quickly it remains between a matter and antimatter state. It explains what happens when up-spin protons emit quarks and down-spin protons emit gluons and the quark and the gluons collide.

If you layer each of the disciplines into one atomic representation then you must be able to have a better (I cannot say complete, because there are still some pieces missing) understanding of how an atom works. I mean, the particle physicists are looking at how the particles break down, what they produce, etc. The chemists are looking at how the system of the atom works. Both come together and you have a better understanding, or at least that is my thought.

The more a person understands about how an atom works, the more applications (different ways to work with it) can be produced.

So while it may seem a little boring to some people, I am completely fascinated with it. It could be I am obsessing over it a little, but when I acquire a strong understanding of the processes, I will be having so much fun finding ways to work with it. And I have come to the conclusion that it is okay to "obsess" as long as it does not damage anyone else. So I am learning as much as I can.

I did consider that possibly the tube in which the neon light was being emitted might have been configured differently than the tube in which the helium gas was emitted because when I went online to look for images of their spectra, neon did not appear in this manner. But still, I have not ruled out the possiblity that the neon spectral lines are not held as tightly together as the helium spectral lines. In truth, more experimentation is needed. I do not have access to a lab, so I am working with thought exploration. Right now, it is the best I can do.

I have considered going through the spectral emissions of all of the elements and compiling lists of orbital angles, electron configurations, protons, and nuclei to see what differences or similarities I can find. This might be a great place for a person without access to a lab to begin to have a deeper understanding and availability to examine, learn, and explore.

It is amazingly interesting to understand that a nucleus of an atom can have an affect on the electrons. If so, then how does the fact that they are vibrating so fast they are passing between their matter and anti-matter states tie in to the pi bonds, sigma bonds and the electron pairs, which are spinning much, much faster than the nuclei? There is so much to explore.

Anyway. Thanks for the post!

Cyndi

Particle physicists slam particles together to see how they work. So things like spin are important, but not so important as examining the particles and what particles are produced during an experiment in an accelerator.

You might want to look up the Zeeman effect in a decent physical chemistry text book such as P. Atkins.

In a magnetic field the lines for some optical transitions become split.

I think if your looking at the visible spectrum, this is usually caused by outer shell electrons. As a ballpark microwave spectra comes from magnetically aligned spin coupled processes, infrared spectra are usually from molecular vibrations involving dipoles, visible spectra / emissions are from outer shell atomic and molecular electron transitions and the x-ray and gamma stuff from inner core electron transitions and nuclear decay processes.

So, if memory serves me correctly, the sort of emission you would have been looking at in an simple ionization discharge experiment such as the one described, the visible spectra would have come from electron orbitals collapsing from different energy states to emit photons, rather than the nucleus process described above. You are running along very, very fast, be careful not to get tangled.



I think your excellent knowledge of physics might make your understanding of chemistry slightly difficult. Chemistry is more on the atomic and molecular level and the physics is more the subatomic stuff, as you said. The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom determines the positive charge that in turn attracts a certain number of electrons. The electrons exist in probability waves around the nucleus, held in place by its opposing electrical charge. The probability waves of the surrounding electrons interfere with each other, repelling between electrons and inner electrons shielding outer electrons from the nuclei's positive charge. These are the basic forces that determine the electronic structure of atoms and molecules that in turn determines chemical properties (I know it's a bit more complicated, but that's the gist of chemistry).

It sounds like you're talking about proton spin coupling with the different timescale vibrations. Two electrons can be on very close energy levels, but due to the Pauli exclusion principal, must have opposing spins. Spin is an inherent property of subatomic particles - eg, an electron has spin of +-1/2, and the number is always that for an electron no matter what you do to it. Spin coupling can exist between the inherent magnetic poles of electrons between different electron levels, but the nucleus must have a non-integer spin for coupling to occur with the nucleus. Nuclei can spin couple using electrons as a "coupling conduit" and you can get a NMR spectra from these sorts of couplings. The magnetic field that causes the coupling no doubt occurs on some sub quantum virtual particle interchange but it stacks the intensity of knowledge fairly high.



Realise that will never change - only your attitude towards it will..

I read a chemistry book once (for fun...is that AS or what?...

it's been awhile. So maybe what we're saying is (due the the Heisenburg effect) is that you can't really know the position of the electron due to the spin, I would think (feel free to jump in and correct me folks... the spectral lines are the average of the electrons' motion, since you'd never really get a spectra from a single atom, or more importantly, a single electron?

Not true. A single atom in a Penning Trap produces a spectrum.

ruveyn