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Outline
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Astr 1050     Mon. Feb. 16, 2004
  •    Today:  Finish
  • Chapter 6 –Starlight and Atoms


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Hydrogen Lines

  • Energy absorbed/emitted depends on upper and lower levels
  • Higher energy levels are close together
  • Above a certain energy, electron can escape     (ionization)


  • Series of lines named for bottom level
    • To get absorption, lower level must be occupied
      • Depends upon temperature of atoms
    • To get emission, upper level must be occupied
      • Can get down-ward cascade through many levels


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Which levels will be occupied?

  • The higher the temperature, the higher the typical level
    • Collisions can knock electrons to higher levels,
      if moving atoms have enough kinetic energy
    • At T ~      300 K (room T)  almost all H in ground state (n=1)
    • At T ~ 10,000 K many H are in first excited state (n=2)
    • At T ~ 15,000 K many H are ionized
  • Because you have highest n=2 population at ~10,000K
    you also have highest Balmer line strength there.
  • This gives us another way to estimate temperatures of stars


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Sense larger T range using many atoms

  • Different atoms hold on to electrons with different force
    • Use weakly held electrons to sense low temperatures  (Fe, Ca, TiO)
      • TiO molecule is destroyed above 4000K
      • Ca has lost 1 electron by ~5000K, but still has others to give lines
    • Use moderately held electrons to sense middle temperatures  (H)
      • Below 6000 K most H electrons in lowest state – can’t cause Balmer lines
      • Above 15,000K most H electrons completely lost (ionized)
    • Use tightly held electrons to sense high temperatures  (He, ionized He)
      • Below 10,000K most He electrons in ground state – just like H, no visible absorption lines
      • Above 15,000K most H has lost one electron, but still has a second one to cause absorptions
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Classification of stars

  • O B A F G K M scheme
    • Originally in order of H strength – A,B,etc Above order is for decreasing temperature
    • Standard mnemonic:  Oh, Be A Fine Girl (Guy), Kiss Me
    • Use numbers for finer divisions:  A0, A1, ... A9, F0, F1, ... F9, G0, G1, ...
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Composition of Stars

  • Somewhat complicated – we must correct for temperature effects
  • Regular pattern:
    • More of the simplest atoms:  H, then He, ...
    • Subtle patterns later – related to nuclear fusion in stars
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Doppler effect

  • Effect similar in light and sound
    • Waves compressed with source moving toward you
      • Sound pitch is higher, light wavelength is smaller (bluer)
    • Waves stretched with source moving away from you
      • Sound pitch is lower, light wavelength is longer (redder)



      • v  =  velocity of source
      • c  =  velocity of light (or sound)
      • l  =  apparent wavelength of light
      • lo =  original wavelength of light
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Doppler effect examples

  • Star moving toward you at 200 km/sec = 2.0´105 m/s
    • Speed of light c = 3.00 ´ 108 m/s
    • Original Ha   lo= 0.65647 mm


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Doppler effect examples

  • Star moving toward you at 200 km/sec = 2.0´105 m/s
    • Speed of light c = 3.00 ´ 108 m/s
    • Original Ha   lo= 0.65647 mm


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Another Doppler effect example (sound)

  • Car with horn blowing, moving away from you at 70 MPH.
    • Speed of sound is ~700 MPH = 1000 ft/sec
    • Original horn pitch is 200 cycles/sec Þ lo ~ 5 ft