Abstract

The most fundamental branch of atomic spectroscopy is the study of atomic structure, as other basic research in atomic physics involves studies of the properties of energy levels or transitions between energy levels in atoms or ions. In spite of that, laboratory work on atomic spectra has often been initiated or motivated by its applications, in particular the needs for atomic data in astronomy. The most striking examples are the Tables of LS-multiplets and of Atomic Energy Levels compiled by Charlotte Moore partly for the purpose of analysing the solar spectrum recorded at groundbased telescopes.

© 1995 Optical Society of America