Siegbahn notation
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The Siegbahn notation is used in x-ray spectroscopy to name the spectral lines that are characteristic to elements. It was created by Manne Siegbahn.
The characteristic lines in x-ray emission spectra correspond to electronic transitions where an electron jumps down to an unfilled level in one of the inner shells of an atom. Such a hole in en inner shell may have been produced by bombardment with electrons in an x-ray tube, by other particles as in PIXE, by other x-rays in x-ray fluorescence or by radioactive decay of the atom's nucleus.
The table below show the correspondence between the name of a few lines and the electronic levels.
| Low energy level | High energy level | Name of the line |
|---|---|---|
| K (1s) | L3 (2p3/2) | Kα1 |
| L2 (2p1/2) | Kα2 | |
| M3 (3p3/2) | Kβ1 | |
| L3 (2p3/2) | M5 (3d5/2) | Lα1 |
| L2 (2p1/2) | M4 (3d3/2) | Lβ1 |
| M5 (3d5/2) | N7 (5p3/2) | Mα1 |
This notation is widely used in spectroscopy, but the IUPAC (International union of pure and applied chemistry) recommends another notation.
| Siegbahn notation | IUPAC notation |
|---|---|
| Kα1 | K-L3 |
| Kα2 | K-L2 |
| Kβ1 | K-M3 |
| Lα1 | L3-M5 |
| Lβ1 | L2-M4 |
| Mα1 | M5-N7 |
