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sodium spectrum

The four series of lines in the sodium emission spectrum, which were historically important in establishing the structure of atoms. The brightest feature is a doublet at 589 nm, but the two lines are so close together that they are hard to resolve. The principal spectral series arises from transitions from n p (where n is the principal quantum number of the upper state) to 3s. The sharp and diffuse series have the same series limit, arising from a common lower state: the transitions are ns to 3p and n d to 3p. The fundamental series has transitions from nt to 3d. The strange notation for atomic orbitals comes from the initial letters of the four series: sharp, principal, diffuse and fundamental.

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Other Terms : telemetry | Turing test | international standard atmosphere (ISA)

sodium spectrum

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sodium pump

sodium sulphite