Zeeman effect (1 Viewer)

[dark_angel]

ok i know what it is, but can someone EXPLAIN to me HOW magnetic fields affect the hydrogen spectrum. Every book ive looked at just explains what it is, and i believe in a detailed answer, i just need to have a brief idea as to why this occurs, not just that it occurs.

 

[Tommy_Lamp]

i dont think you need to know why, you just have to know that it was a limitation of the Bohr model

 

[Constip8edSkunk]

yep, its way beyond the syllabus anyway... stuff about how magnetic field influences the aggregate angular momentum of electrons, so whereas, only principle number n is taken into consideration in the absence of field, orbital and spin quantum numbers are considered and the elctrons' energy slightly differentiates...

 

[The Bograt]

So what is the basic thing that we need to know about the Zeeman effect? Just that when the sample is placed in a magnetic field, the splitting of the spectral lines could not be explained, and that this was a limitation of Bohr's model of the atom...

 

[Tommy_Lamp]

exactly

123

 

[BlackJack]

If you really want it:
Electrons, as a fundamental particle, behaves like a little magnet. This magnet can have two orientations in an applied magnetic field: with the field, or against it. The energy of the two directions are slightly different (poor analogy of going with or against the flow).
Note without an applied field there is no effect, but when you place the H atom in the said magnetic environment, you will obtain two possible energies in one orbital. Hence a splitting.

There is more explanation as to why there's only two, but not 4. Part of that's to do with sub shells of atoms, the basic s shell is completely symmetric and an electron in that shell has no magnetic interactions whatsoever.