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Lyman-alpha, typically denoted by Ly-α, is a spectral line of hydrogen (or, more generally, of any one-electron atom) in the Lyman series. It is emitted when the atomic electron transitions from an n = 2 orbital to the ground state ( n = 1), where n is the principal quantum number .
The Lyman-alpha line in most LAEs is thought to be caused by recombination of interstellar hydrogen that is ionized by an ongoing burst of star formation. Such Lyman alpha emission was first suggested as a signature of young galaxies by Bruce Partridge and P. J. E. Peebles in 1967. [ 1 ]
The transitions are named sequentially by Greek letters: from n = 2 to n = 1 is called Lyman-alpha, 3 to 1 is Lyman-beta, 4 to 1 is Lyman-gamma, and so on. The series is named after its discoverer, Theodore Lyman. The greater the difference in the principal quantum numbers, the higher the energy of the electromagnetic emission.
The four visible hydrogen emission spectrum lines in the Balmer series. H-alpha is the red line at the right. The Balmer series includes the lines due to transitions from an outer orbit n > 2 to the orbit n' = 2. Named after Johann Balmer, who discovered the Balmer formula, an empirical equation to predict the Balmer series, in 1885.
Animation of a Lyman-alpha blob. The giant Lyman-alpha blob LAB-1 (left) and an artist's impression of what it might look like if viewed from relatively close (right). In astronomy, a Lyman-alpha blob (LAB) is a huge concentration of a gas emitting the Lyman-alpha emission line. LABs are some of the largest known individual objects in the Universe.
The Lyman-alpha forest was first discovered in 1970 by astronomer Roger Lynds in an observation of the quasar 4C 05.34. [1] Quasar 4C 05.34 was the farthest object observed to that date, and Lynds noted an unusually large number of absorption lines in its spectrum and suggested that most of the absorption lines were all due to the same Lyman-alpha transition. [2]
In principle, any emission line can be used to make intensity maps if it can be detected. Other emission lines that have been proposed as cosmological tracers include: Rotational transitions in molecules, such as carbon monoxide [13] Fine structure transitions from species such as ionized carbon [14] Lyman-alpha emission from hydrogen [15]
This choice also places K-alpha firmly in the X-ray energy range. Similarly to Lyman-alpha, the K-alpha emission is composed of two spectral lines, K-alpha 1 (Kα 1) and K-alpha 2 (Kα 2). [6] The K-alpha 1 emission is slightly higher in energy (and, thus, has a lower wavelength) than the K-alpha 2 emission.