Spectra of Mercury at High Vapour Pressure in Condenser Discharge

Abstract

The condenser discharge spectra of mercury at high vapour pressure is studied up to about 15atm, and 300amps. The lines of the series ³P-³D become very broad and continuous as compared the other lines due to the high sensitivity of the ³D terms to Stark effect. At 15atm. all the lines become absorption lines or disappear at all in the continuous background except probably the line 3984 5d⁹6s²²D_{2 1/2}-5d¹⁰6p ²P⁰_{1 1/2} which remains relatively sharp up to the highest pressure. The energy distribution in the visible range, however, display the existence of the very broad emission bands near the atomic lines and has not the smooth form of the black body radiation type of definite temperature, showing that the quantum states are not completly destroyed in the above mentioned discharge condition