In reply to Jürg Wyttenbach's message of Mon, 25 Jan 2021 22:59:04 +0100: Hi Jürg, [snip] >People always think that quanta are fix size. This is not the case.
That depends on which quantity you are talking about. > >Of course are all electron orbits related by simple quantization rules >that again are acting within second order coupling. > >So there are lines for certain well known isotopes e.g. the yellow of >Na. But theies lines have a certain thickness, the same as you would >draw it with fat pencil. True. > >Photons can only go into resonance with a line if these match the orbit, >else these get ejected after a "halve turn + angle". I think that perhaps resonance is not enough. The change in angular momentum of the electron also has to match that of the photon if the photon is to be absorbed or emitted. Otherwise any atomic transition would be possible. Both energy and angular momentum need to be conserved for the electron/photon pair. > >Do also not forget that we live around 290K where all atoms (outer shell >electrons/ chemical bonds) carry excess energy! Most of this energy is in the form of kinetic energy of the entire atom/molecule, which is the primary reason that the lines undergo Doppler broadening. IOW the line width changes with temperature. [snip]
