line broadening
line broadening
The production of broadened spectral lines by various effects. The natural width of a spectral line is determined by quantum mechanical uncertainty. Other factors can, however, produce extra line width, including rapid rotation of a celestial body, Doppler broadening, pressure broadening, and the Zeeman effect. Considerations of the line profile can give information about the physical conditions of celestial objects.Collins Dictionary of Astronomy © Market House Books Ltd, 2006
line broadening
[′līn ‚brȯd·ən·iŋ] (spectroscopy)
An increase in the range of wavelengths over which the characteristic absorption or emission of a spectral line takes place, due to a number of causes such as collision broadening and Doppler broadening.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.