Rydberg constant

The Rydberg constant is named after physicist Janne Rydberg, and is a physical constant discovered when measuring the spectrum of hydrogen, and building upon results from Anders Jonas Ångström and Johann Balmer. Each chemical element has its own Rydberg constant, which can be derived from the "infinity" Rydberg constant.

Related Topics:
Physicist - Janne Rydberg - Physical constant - Spectrum - Hydrogen - Anders Jonas Ångström - Johann Balmer - Chemical element

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The "infinity" Rydberg constant is (according to 2002 CODATA results):

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:R_infty = 1.0973731568525(73) cdot 10^7 ,mathrm{m}^{-1}

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This constant is often used in atomic physics in the form of an energy:

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:h c R_infty = 13.6056923(12) ,mathrm{eV} equiv 1 ,mathrm{Ry}

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The "infinity" constant appears in the formula:

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:R_M = rac{R_infty}{1+rac{m_e}{M}}

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which gives the Rydberg constant for a certain atom with one electron with the rest mass m_e and the atomic nucleus mass M . It can be derived from the formula:

Related Topics:
Atom - Electron - Rest mass - Atomic nucleus

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:R_infty = rac{m_e e^4}{(4 pi epsilon_0)^2 2 hbar^2 c}

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As the formula for the Rydberg constant contains no less than five other physical constants, namely the elementary charge e , the electron rest mass m_e , the permittivity of vacuum epsilon_0 , Planck's constant h , and the speed of light in vacuum c , it is one of the most well-determined physical constants. Measuring the Rydberg constant confirms the proportions of the values of the other five constants.

Related Topics:
Physical constant - Elementary charge - Electron - Rest mass - Permittivity - Planck's constant - Speed of light - Vacuum

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For more information about this formula, see the article on the Rydberg formula.

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