This question relates to any atom, but for simplicity let’s pose it in terms of the hydrogen atom, which has well known energy states.
The Rydberg formula, which describes its transition levels, works fine, but it places the ionization threshold at some undefined state as the state number approaches infinity.
I’m doing some research that leads to a theoretical limit of state number 137 as the ionization threshold and would like to know if that limit has been observed to be violated.
Yes there have been numerous mesurements by radio spectroscopy by several groups on very high transitions in Rydberg atoms in space. I believe they observed up to the order of n = 1000. Search for radio recombination lines. In Astron. Soc. Pac. Conf. Ser (USA) 168 (1999) 197-200, they reported n = 578.
@Mohamed:
Yes, 137 is the integer value of the inverse of the fine structure constant. I’m working on a discrete-event model of spacetime that uses 137 as the scale constant relating time to space at the atomic scope (level). One of the results is that 137 would be the atomic ionization threshold. I’m looking for experimental evidence that would confirm or falsify that result.
@Leif:
I will investigate the observance of high transition numbers, as you pointed out, to see how they affect my results.
Thank you both for your answers.
Bernardo.
Bernardo,
I would suggest checking out NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology). Here (http://www.nist.gov/pml/data/asd.cfm) they have a ton of data on recorded transition times, ground state/ionization energies, and levels of energy compared to distance from the nucleus.
Lines with n into the mid to high hundreds have been observed in HII regions in space. My own theory for the scattering of radio waves would imply levels up into the low thousands ( https://www.researchgate.net/publication/253543274_Scattering_of_radio_waves_by_high_atomic_Rydberg_states ). There is in principle no limit, but the density of atoms beyond a certain level will strongly decrease, mainly due to collisional ionization.
Article Scattering of radio waves by high atomic Rydberg states
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