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The Zeeman Effect

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NOAO/AURA Image Library. 8. The Zeeman Effect. Uses ... http://www.imgoingtomars.com/images/Sunspot.jpg. NOAO/AURA Image Library, Sunspot with Spectrum, http: ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: The Zeeman Effect


1
The Zeeman Effect
  • Seeing Magnetic Fields
  • December 1, 2005

2
The Zeeman Effect History
  • This in physics and astronomy, the splitting of a
    spectral line into two or more components of
    slightly different frequency when the light
    source is placed in a magnetic field.
  • In 1896 the Dutch physicist Pieter Zeeman
    observed the broadening of the yellow D-lines of
    sodium in a flame held between strong magnetic
    poles.
  • This broadening was the distinct splitting of
    spectral lines into as many as 15 components.
  • This earned him the Nobel Prize in 1902

3
The Zeeman Effect Cause 1
  • Normally when an element is heated or energized,
    the resulting emission line is the result of an
    energized electron jumping to a higher energy
    level in an atom, then falling back to its normal
    energy level
  • Upon falling back to a lower level, it releases
    the energy as a specific wavelength of light.

4
The Zeeman Effect Cause - 2
  • However, when this occurs in a magnetic field
    sufficiently strong, the single spectral line is
    split into three lines this is the normal
    Zeeman effect.
  • The cause results from electron spin.
  • This is an intrinsic quantum mechanical property
  • Electrons, as other sub-atomic particles, have
    spin states spin up and spin down.

5
The Zeeman Effect Cause - 3
  • The external magnetic field affects this spin,
    similar to a magnetic field on a spinning piece
    of iron, it might slow or increase the speed
    depending on the spin direction.
  • This causes the broadening of the spectral lines,
    the broadening is proportional to the magnetic
    field
  • There is also the anomalous Zeeman effect, where
    there are many spectral lines created, a more
    complex result of quantum mechanical physics.

6
An Example
  • This picture at the left, taken 7/4/74 at Kitt
    Peak, is of a sunspot, taken 20 minutes before a
    white light flare occurred.

7
An Example Cont,
  • The white light photo shows a sinuous light
    bridge which divides the spot's umbra into
    different magnetic polarities.

NOAO/AURA Image Library
  • The vertical black line is a spectrograph slit
  • The spectrogram on the right shows the division
    of an iron spectral line at 525.02 nm into three
    lines
  • The broadening indicates the magnetic field
    strength of 4130 Gauss 0.413 Tesla

8
The Zeeman Effect Uses
  • Since distant magnetic fields cant be detected
    directly, the Zeeman effect can be used, since
    the emission broadening is proportional to the
    magnetic field, up to a point.
  • This is limited to the presence of atoms emitting
    light
  • Typically this is used to observe magnetic fields
    for the Sun, stars, nebula, and some close
    planets, such as Jupiter and Saturn.

9
References
  • http//www.imgoingtomars.com/images/Sunspot.jpg
  • NOAO/AURA Image Library, Sunspot with Spectrum,
    http//www.noao.edu/image_gallery/html/im0404.html
  • Yahoo Education, http//education.yahoo.com/refere
    nce/encyclopedia/entry/Zeemanef
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