Lyman series

proper noun

A hydrogen spectral series of transitions and resulting ultraviolet emission lines of the hydrogen atom as an electron goes from n ≥ 2 to n = 1 (where n is the principal quantum number), the lowest energy level of the electron.

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Meanings

proper noun
  1. A hydrogen spectral series of transitions and resulting ultraviolet emission lines of the hydrogen atom as an electron goes from n ≥ 2 to n = 1 (where n is the principal quantum number), the lowest energy level of the electron.

Origin

Named after the Harvard physicist Theodore Lyman IV, who in 1906 discovered the first line in the spectrum.

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Cite this entry
APA

Lyman series. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Lyman%20series

MLA

“Lyman series.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Lyman%20series. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Lyman series,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Lyman%20series.

Source: Lyman series on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.