Ritz combination principle

[rits]

noun Physics.

the principle that the frequencies of lines in atomic spectra can be represented as differences of a smaller number of terms, all characteristic of the emitting system, interpreted in quantum theory as the emission of exactly one photon in a transition between energy levels.

Origin of Ritz combination principle

after Walther Ritz (1878–1909), Swiss physicist, who formulated it

Also called combination principle.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018