Definition
Line emission is the process by which an atom or molecule moves from a higher energy state to a lower one by emitting a photon. The emitted photon has a discrete energy (E) that is equal to the difference of the two states, and a corresponding frequency (ν). The energy is defined as (Fig. 1):
The transition from the upper to the lower energy state produces a photon of energy hν
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Milam, S.N. (2023). Line Emission. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-65093-6_5078
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