Phosphorescence
Most recent answer: 10/22/2007
Q:
What is Phosphorescence and where is it found?
- caitlin
- caitlin
A:
Caitlin -
says that Phosphorescence is:
"(1) luminescence that is caused by the absorption of radiation at one wavelength followed by delayed reradiation at a different wavelength and that continues for a noticeable time after the incident radiation stops; (2) an enduring luminescence without sensible heat"
Basically, this is the kind of thing that you get with glow-in-the-dark stars. Special molecules in the plastic in the stars absorb light. The energy from the light is stored by the electrons in each molecule. After a while, the electrons release the energy again as light, rather than heat.
You might be wondering what makes certain molecules so special that they can hang on to energy for minutes or longer before releasing it as light, even though most molecules hang onto energy for much, much less than a second. Unfortunately, the answer requires learning something about the very strange properties of electrons, part of a field called quantum mechanics.
-Tamara
says that Phosphorescence is:
"(1) luminescence that is caused by the absorption of radiation at one wavelength followed by delayed reradiation at a different wavelength and that continues for a noticeable time after the incident radiation stops; (2) an enduring luminescence without sensible heat"
Basically, this is the kind of thing that you get with glow-in-the-dark stars. Special molecules in the plastic in the stars absorb light. The energy from the light is stored by the electrons in each molecule. After a while, the electrons release the energy again as light, rather than heat.
You might be wondering what makes certain molecules so special that they can hang on to energy for minutes or longer before releasing it as light, even though most molecules hang onto energy for much, much less than a second. Unfortunately, the answer requires learning something about the very strange properties of electrons, part of a field called quantum mechanics.
-Tamara
(published on 10/22/2007)