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

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 • Feb. 27, 2024

Each type of pigment can be identified by the specific pattern of wavelengths it absorbs from visible light, which is the absorption spectrum.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

A dark line, or absorption spectrum, consists of a series or pattern of dark lines—missing colors—superimposed upon the continuous spectrum of a source.

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

Each type of pigment can be identified by the specific pattern of wavelengths it absorbs from visible light, which is its absorption spectrum.

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013

It is four times lighter than water, it does not present any absorption spectrum, and its specific heat is the greatest known.

From The New Physics and Its Evolution by Poincaré, Lucien