More on Atoms..
There are two important atomic processes:
1) Excitation: |
|
Removes (absorbs) photons of specific energy. |
2) De-Excitation: |
|
Emits (emission) photons of specific energy. |
Continuum, Emission, and Absorption Spectra
A spectrum may exhibit a continuum (all colors), or may have superposed on the continuum bright lines (an emission spectrum) or dark lines (an absorption spectrum), as illustrated in the figure below.
 |