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Why are spectral lines narrow?

Because the emitted photon must carry away the energy lost by the radiator. Except for tiny "recoil energy" this is the difference between the upper and lower energy levels of the well isolated emitting atom, for narrow lines.

If the atom is not part of a very rarefied gas, then other "near by" atoms interacting even weakly with it cause, especially the upper level of an outer shell excited electron, to have slightly different energy levels, so measurements of the wave lengths, which require many photons, have an observed spread or line width.

Even if the source is a very rarefied gas so the energy levels are not slightly shifted by other atoms, there is still a finite "natural width" to the line. This is caused by the uncertainty principle. I. e. unless the period in which the emission occurs is large, the photon energy can not be precise. - Billy T.

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4mo ago

Spectral lines are narrow because they correspond to specific energy transitions within an atom. When an electron transitions to a lower energy state, it emits a photon with a specific energy and therefore a specific wavelength or frequency. This results in a distinct and narrow spectral line.

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Q: Why the spectral lines are narrow lines?
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