Abstract
WITH regard to Mr. Evans's communication to NATURE, September 4, p. 5, I should like to remark that while I have for some time recognised that the experimental evidence, on the whole, seems to be in favour of helium as the origin of the new lines 4686, &c, it should not be too hastily concluded that they are not due to hydrogen. Mr. Evans appears to have succeeded in eliminating the ordinary spectroscopic indications of hydrogen from his helium tubes, but is it not possible that, under the special conditions of the strongly disruptive discharge, with helium also present, residual hydrogen may be represented only by the new lines? This would not be the only known case in which the presence of helium aids the development of the spectrum of another gas with which it is mixed. I have observed this effect in the case of the series of bands of carbonic oxide which are characteristic of the tails of comets; these bands are of very feeble intensity at the low pressures necessary for their approximate isolation in the spectrum of the pure gas, but I have seen them greatly intensified when carbonic oxide was present as an impurity in helium. Also, the Ritz series of infra-red hydrogen lines was found by Paschen to be brighter in a mixture of hydrogen and helium than in hydrogen alone. Apart from this, I find it difficult to believe that the close agreement of one set of lines with the principal series calculated for hydrogen by Rydberg is merely accidental.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
FOWLER, A. The Spectra of Helium and Hydrogen. Nature 92, 95–96 (1913). https://doi.org/10.1038/092095b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/092095b0
This article is cited by
-
Historical magic in old quantum theory?
European Journal for Philosophy of Science (2012)
-
Resisting the Bohr Atom: The Early British Opposition
Physics in Perspective (2011)
-
Models and methodologies in current theoretical high-energy physics
Synthese (1982)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.