Zeeman effect
the dividing of a spectral line or lines as a result of placing a radiation source in a magnetic field. The division consists of three equally spaced lines (normal Zeeman effect ) in systems for which the spin quantum number is zero, or of three or more unequally spaced lines (anomalous Zeeman effect ) in systems for which the spin quantum number is not zero.
Origin of Zeeman effect
1- Also called Zeeman splitting.
- Compare Paschen-Back effect.
Words Nearby Zeeman effect
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use Zeeman effect in a sentence
There are some interesting phenomena connected with the Zeeman effect which are more easily observed than the effect itself.
British Dictionary definitions for Zeeman effect
/ (ˈziːmən) /
the splitting of a spectral line of a substance into several closely spaced lines when the substance is placed in a magnetic field
Origin of Zeeman effect
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for Zeeman effect
The splitting of single spectral lines of an emission or absorption spectrum of a substance into three or more components when the substance is placed in a magnetic field. The effect occurs when several electron orbitals in the same shell, which normally have the same energy level, have different energies due to their different orientations in the magnetic field. A normal Zeeman effect is observed when a spectral line of an atom splits into three lines under a magnetic field. An anomalous Zeeman effect is observed if the spectral line splits into more than three lines. Astronomers can use the Zeeman effect to measure magnetic fields of stars. Compare Stark effect.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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