Question

A solar astronomer studying a spectrum of a sunspot observes that a spectral absorption line is split into two lines in a region of high magnetic field. This is known as the ____ effect.

a) Zeeman
b) Stark
c) Doppler
d) Fraunhofer

Answer 1

Option (A), The correct answer to the question regarding the splitting of spectral absorption lines in sunspots due to a high magnetic field effect is the Zeeman effect.

Step-by-step explanation:

The phenomenon observed by a solar astronomer where a spectral absorption line is split into two or more lines in a region of high magnetic field is known as the Zeeman effect. This effect occurs when an external magnetic field is applied to an atom, causing the energy levels to split and, consequently, the spectral lines to split as well. The separation of these lines is proportional to the strength of the magnetic field, allowing scientists to measure the magnetic fields in sunspots on the Sun's surface. The discovery of the Zeeman effect was significant enough to earn Pieter Zeeman and Hendrik Lorentz the 1902 Nobel Prize in Physics.