The difference in emission and absorption spectra are given here. These two things are one of the most interesting concepts in physics. Know in detail the differences between them, given in the table below.
What is an Emission Spectrum?
When energy is absorbed by atomic electrons, the electron moves from a lower energy level to a higher energy level. Those excited electrons must dissipate energy back from the excited state to the ground, unstable state. The emission spectrum is formed by the frequencies of this emitted light.
What is the Absorption Spectrum?
On the other hand, the absorption spectrum is composed of light frequencies transferred to the dark bands when energy is absorbed by electrons in the ground state to higher energy states.
The main difference between the absorption and absorption spectra is that the emission spectrum has different colored lines, while the absorption spectrum has dark lines. Other differences between the absorption and emission sequences are given in the column labeled below.
Difference Between Emission And Absorption Spectra
| Emission Spectra | Absorption Spectra |
| Produced when atoms release energy | Produced when atoms absorb energy |
| Comprise coloured lines in the spectrum | Comprise dark lines or gaps in the spectrum |
| It is helpful in figuring out the composition of a certain matter | Can be used to figure out the ability of certain objects to retain heat and its absorption level |
| The type of photons emitted is helpful in figuring out the kind of elements the substance is made of as each element radiates a different amount of energy and has a unique emission level | The wavelengths of light absorbed is helpful in figuring out the number of substances in the sample |
