# A Hydrogen Deep Dive Hydrogen. The simplest atom possible, and therefore the example we will be using. In fact, we've even generalised its absorption lines into "series" - named after the people who had the bright idea to stamp their foot down first We'll go over the first four emission lines of hydrogen. Don't try to memorise them - it's a cool party trick, but that is if your party is 'all geek no life'. Here are most of the hydrogen-alpha series - or at least, the ones that are standardised. - **Lyman-$\alpha$ series**: Emission from a higher orbital to the ground state - **Balmer-$\alpha$ series**: Emission from a higher orbital to the second orbital N = 2 - **Paschen-$\alpha$ series**: Emission from a higher orbital to the third orbital N = 3 - **Brackett-$\alpha$ series**: Emission from a higher orbital to the fourth orbital N = 4 # Thermal Radiation & Black Body Radiators Ever noticed how as you got further from a heat source, the colder it would seem? While convection and conduction do play a role in this, this is an example of **thermal radiation** being used to warm people up. Thermal radiation consists of infrared light, ![[Pasted image 20230706164626.png]] # Spectrums - Molecular Excitations // For the benefit of Astronomy people Light is the general term for electromagnetic waves - transverse waves that are essentially oscillations of pure energy (like photons). There are many types of light - Gamma Rays, X-Rays, UltraViolet light, Visible Light, Infrared, Microwaves, Radio. $E = \frac{v}{c} = \frac{1}{n}$ $\lambda = wavelength. \nu = frequency$ // END MATH HERE. MORE TECHNICAL WAVE-STUFF GO TO WAVES SPECTRA speed of light = $3 x 10^8 m / s$ crest & trough --> highs and lows of the sinusoidal