Abstract
IN a recent letter1 it was shown that the number of arrivals, pn, in the nth quantum state of the hydrogen atom in a discharge tube and in the planetary nebulæ was not the same as the number of captures predicted by Kramers' Law. The arrivals, pn, were computed from measured line intensities for n?3, and the number of captures on n = 2 was obtained directly from the Balmer continuous emission, Bac. If, as convincing arguments2appeared to show, these observed arrivals, pn, were almost wholly due to captures of free electrons, it followed that Kramers' Law was wrong. This view was strengthened in the case of the discharge tube by a measurement of the Paschen continuous emission, Pac, which gave directly the number of captures on n = 3, and which was thought to be of the same magnitude as p3.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
NATURE, 141, 1137 (June 25, 1938).
Zanstra, H., Astrophys. J., 65, 50 (1927); Plaskett, H. H., Pub. Dom. Astro. Obs., 4, 187 (1928).
Note added in proof: In a letter in NATURE, 142, 433 (September 3, 1938), Menzel has directed attention to the significance of this test, and has made the forecast, now verified, that it would canfirm the validity of Kramers' Law.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
PAGE, T. Kramers' Law: A Correction. Nature 142, 615 (1938). https://doi.org/10.1038/142615a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/142615a0
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.