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Firefly Star Laser

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Firefly Twinkling Green & Red Laser Light Stars pattern DJ Party disco club
Firefly Twinkling Green & Red Laser Light Stars pattern DJ Party disco club
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Firefly Star Laser
How does the energy of a photon of light relates to the basic wave properties of light?

I know that fireflies produce a yellow glow. But i didn't know that that there are a few species of fireflies that produce an orange glow.

This is what i found out, it starts with atoms and molecules. These contain electrons, and all these electrons are arranged in different energy levels. The firefly contains certain substances which react in a special way to cause a glow. When these substances come together in a chemical reaction, many of their electrons jump from a higher energy level to a lower energy level.

And this releases a certain amount of energy that leaves as tiny bits of light called photons. The glow colour we see depends on the energy difference between the two levels. And I’ve also found that this explains the colours of vapour lamps, lasers and what’s inside the stars in the sky.

I found out all of the above through research, BUT i don't understand a single thing it is saying.

Can someone explain to me what it says?

Okay, have you studied the Bohr atomic model? Well, it assumes discrete energy shells. And electrons can either be in one energy shell or another, not in between, so it's either this energy or that energy. This is why it supposedly doesn't spiral into the nucleus.
Now, when an atom absorbs energy [a photon], the electrons will gain energy. But that energy needs to 'go' somewhere! So the electrons jump energy shells. They go from a lower energy shell to a higher energy shell, according to the Rydberg equation [check it out]. Then, what goes up must come down. So the electrons will de-excite, and will jump back to their original energy shells. But where's the additional energy? THEY RELEASE IT AS PHOTONS. Ah-hah!
The amount of energy released is what changes the frequency of the light emitted. I'm sure you've heard about E=hf, so the frequency is proportional to the energy. The greater the electron jump, the higher the frequency! That's how different elements and different reactions cause different light. Each element has its own signature spectra. You can check the absorbtion spectra by shining light on a cold gas and seeing what's not absorbed, and the emission by having a hot gas and seeing what comes out. You'll realise they're exact opposites of each other. What shows on the absorbtion does not show in the emission, and when you combine them, you get a continuous spectrum [all colour combined. from white light. sunlight is VERY VERY VERY close to a true continuous spectrum]
Some jumps [from the outermost shell to the innermost shell] can cause high frequency photons to be released, such as X rays and gamma rays. That's why some radioactive substances are harmful. So different species of fireflies are different and release different light, cos there're slightly different things going on within them. And that's why the amount of energy released is slightly different, and the colour is different.

Cheers. :D



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Written by admin

January 24th, 2010 at 2:10 pm

Posted in Stage Effects

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