absorption spectrum

American  

noun

Physics.

1. the spectrum formed by electromagnetic radiation that has passed through a medium in which radiation of certain frequencies is absorbed.

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absorption spectrum British  

noun

1. the characteristic pattern of dark lines or bands that occurs when electromagnetic radiation is passed through an absorbing medium into a spectroscope. An equivalent pattern occurs as coloured lines or bands in the emission spectrum of that medium

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absorption spectrum Scientific  

1. The range of frequencies of electromagnetic radiation readily absorbed by a substance by virtue of its chemical composition.

2. See more at atomic spectrum

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Etymology

Origin of absorption spectrum

First recorded in 1875–80

Compare meaning

How does absorption-spectrum compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• emission spectrum vs. absorption spectrum

Example Sentences

Firstly, water vapor interferes and overlaps with the absorption spectra of many gases in the standard infrared ranges normally used for detection.

From Science Daily

Instead, Naka's team cooled the diamond crystal to cryogenic temperatures, obtaining nine peaks on the deep-ultraviolet absorption spectrum, compared to the usual four using luminescence.

From Science Daily

In the 1960s, scientists began to siphon the x-ray radiation from electron accelerators to study materials by, say, measuring their absorption spectra.

From Science Magazine

The infrared absorption spectrum of a sample can therefore be used as a molecular fingerprint by which to characterize its chemical composition.

From Nature

In Fig. 2d the transient absorption spectrum of a chromophore cresyl violet in solution as a function of the pump–probe time delay is shown.

From Nature