Victor Schumann (21 December 1841 – 1 September 1913) was a
physicist
A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe.
Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...
and
spectroscopist
Spectroscopy is the field of study that measures and interprets the electromagnetic spectra that result from the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and matter as a function of the wavelength or frequency of the radiation. Matter wav ...
who in 1893 discovered the vacuum
ultraviolet
Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 PHz) to 400 nm (750 THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation ...
.
Schumann wished to study the "
Extreme Ultraviolet
Extreme ultraviolet radiation (EUV or XUV) or high-energy ultraviolet radiation is electromagnetic radiation in the part of the electromagnetic spectrum spanning wavelengths from 124 nm down to 10 nm, and therefore (by the Planck–E ...
"
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...
. For this, he used a
prism
Prism usually refers to:
* Prism (optics), a transparent optical component with flat surfaces that refract light
* Prism (geometry), a kind of polyhedron
Prism may also refer to:
Science and mathematics
* Prism (geology), a type of sedimentary ...
and
lenses in fluorite instead of
quartz
Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica ( silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical ...
allowing himself to be the first to measure spectra below 200 nm. Oxygen gas would absorb the radiation with a wavelength below 195 nm but Schumann placed the entire apparatus under vacuum. He prepared his own photographic plates with a reduced layer of gelatin.
He published on the
Hydrogen line
The hydrogen line, 21 centimeter line, or H I line is the electromagnetic radiation spectral line that is created by a change in the energy state of neutral hydrogen atoms. This electromagnetic radiation has a precise frequency of , w ...
in the spectrum of
Nova Aurigae
T Aurigae (or Nova Aurigae 1891) was a nova, which lit up in the constellation Auriga in 1891. Thomas David Anderson, an amateur astronomer in Edinburgh, reported that he was "almost certain" he saw the nova at 02:00 UT on 24 January 18 ...
and in the spectrum of
vacuum tubes
A vacuum tube, electron tube, valve (British usage), or tube (North America), is a device that controls electric current flow in a high vacuum between electrodes to which an electric potential difference has been applied.
The type known as a ...
.
[Schumann V, ''Astronomy and astrophysics'', Volume 12, Carleton College (Northfield, Minn.). Goodsell Observatory]
His work opened the way to atomic emission spectroscopy, leading eventually to the discovery of the hydrogen spectral lines series (
Lyman series In physics and chemistry, the Lyman series is 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 princip ...
) by
Theodore Lyman Theodore Lyman may refer to:
* Theodore B. Lyman (1815–1893), American bishop
* Theodore Lyman II (1792–1849), American philanthropist, politician, and author
* Theodore Lyman III (1833–1897), American natural scientist, military staff offic ...
in 1914.
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References
External links
*
Victor Schumann at encyclopedia.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schumann, Victor
19th-century German physicists
1841 births
1913 deaths
Spectroscopists
People from Leipzig (district)