absorption spectrum

noun

: an electromagnetic spectrum in which a decrease in intensity of radiation at specific wavelengths or ranges of wavelengths characteristic of an absorbing substance is manifested especially as a pattern of dark lines or bands

Examples of absorption spectrum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Robin Wordsworth, a climate scientist at Harvard University, turned to quantum mechanics to understand carbon dioxide’s absorption spectrum. —Joseph Howlett, WIRED, 25 Aug. 2024

The team used density functional theory to predict what the absorption spectrum of the material should look like and found that the perovskites produced using this process closely matched the prediction. —John Timmer, Ars Technica, 2 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

absorption spectrum

noun

: an electromagnetic spectrum in which a decrease in intensity of radiation at specific wavelengths or ranges of wavelengths characteristic of an absorbing substance (as chlorophyll) is manifested especially as a pattern of dark lines or bands compare emission spectrum