Paschen series

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In physics, the Paschen series (also called Ritz-Paschen series) is the series of transitions and resulting emission lines of the hydrogen atom as an electron goes from n ≥ 4 to n = 3, where n refers to the principal quantum number of the electron. The transitions are named sequentially by Greek letter: n = 4 to n = 3 is called Paschen-alpha, 5 to 3 is Paschen-beta, 6 to 3 is Paschen-gamma, etc.

They are named after the Austro-German physicist Friedrich Paschen who first observed them in 1908.

Paschen series, in the infrared, measured lines with wavelengths (nm):

n	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13
Air Wavelength (nm)	1875.1	1281.8	1093.8	1004.9	954.6	922.9	901.5	886.3	875.0	866.5	820.4

[edit] See also

• Bohr model
• H-alpha
• Rydberg formula

[edit] External references

• Paschen series (animation)

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