Resumen de Why Do Spectral Lines Have a Linewidth?
Any discussion involving spectral wavelength scans in introductory chemistry or instrumental methods classes runs the risk of encountering the following very good question: Why do spectral lines have a certain width rather than being straight lines on the scan? Theoretically, shouldn't each electron energy-level transition result in a spectral line at a single wavelength, corresponding to the difference in energy between the levels. Why the spread?Provided is a pedagogically useful introduction to the physical principles involved in the natural linewidth and Doppler broadening. Lorentz broadening is also briefly discussed. Also of interest from a teaching standpoint is the number of physical principles that can be addressed or reviewed under this single topic such as Planck's law and the Heisenberg uncertainty principle.
