Abstract
IN the course of our investigations on the pole effect of the iron arc, we used a special device to keep the arc steady in the vertical position, and photographed the spectrum by means of a large quartz prism on a Littrow mounting. The lines originating in the electrode, extending from the visible part of the spectrum down to the ultra-violet, showed distinct separation, which was identical with the Stark effect observed with vacuum tubes. The separated lines show polarisations parallel and perpendicular to the field,. which at the maximum amounts to about 20,000 volts per cm., and is confined to a very thin layer at the electrode, indicating a steep gradient. We found it convenient to work with a 500 volts arc, although the same phenomenon can be observed with a 100 volts arc. The effect is observed at the lower electrode, whether this be anode or cathode. Other metals can be used instead of iron.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
NAGAOKA, H., SUGIURA, Y. Easy Method of observing the Stark Effect. Nature 111, 431 (1923). https://doi.org/10.1038/111431b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/111431b0
This article is cited by
-
An unwelcome discovery: The pole effect in the electric arc, a threat to early 20th century precision spectrometry
Archive for History of Exact Sciences (1997)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.