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1990

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December

  

From the history of physics


Rydberg and the development of atomic spectroscopy (Centennial of J. R. Rydberg’s paper on the laws governing atomic spectra)

 a,  b,  c
a Heat and Mass Transfer Institute, Belarus Academy of Sciences, ul. P Brovka 15, Minsk, 220072, Belarus
b Belarussian State University, prosp. F. Scoriny 4, Minsk, 220050, Belarus
c B.I. Stepanov Institute of Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, prosp. F. Skoriny 70, Minsk, 220602, Belarus

A historical and methodological analysis is given for an important stage in the development of atomic spectroscopy, which was completed by the introduction of the spectral-term concept and the formulation of the Rydberg--Ritz combination principle. J. R. Rydberg's life and scientific activity are briefly reviewed. His fundamental paper of 1890 on the laws governing atomic spectra is considered in detail. Rydberg's decisive contribution to the discovery of the basic spectroscopic laws, whose determination created the necessary prerequisites for interpreting line spectra in the context of the Bohr model, is shown. It is shown that the final step in constructing Bohr's theory, the introduction of the frequency condition, was achieved in the process of reconciling his preliminary model with the spectroscopic scheme of Balmer, Rydberg, and Ritz.

Fulltext pdf (660 KB)
Fulltext is also available at DOI: 10.1070/PU1990v033n12ABEH002666
PACS: 01.60.+q, 32.30.−r, 32.70.Jz (all)
DOI: 10.1070/PU1990v033n12ABEH002666
URL: https://ufn.ru/en/articles/1990/12/c/
Citation: El’yashevich M A, Kembrovskaya N G, Tomil’chik L M "Rydberg and the development of atomic spectroscopy (Centennial of J. R. Rydberg's paper on the laws governing atomic spectra)" Sov. Phys. Usp. 33 (12) 1047–1060 (1990)
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Оригинал: Ельяшевич М А, Кембровская Н Г, Томильчик Л М «Ридберг и развитие атомной спектроскопии (К столетию работы Й.Р. Ридберга о закономерностях в атомных спектрах)» УФН 160 (12) 141–165 (1990); DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.0160.199012f.0141

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