Spectral Series of the Hydrogen Atom

levels

5

series

Lyman

Balmer

Paschen

Brackett

Pfund

n	E (eV)
1	-13.6
2	-3.40
3	-1.51
4	-0.850
5	-0.544
6	-0.378

This diagram of the energy levels of the hydrogen atom shows the allowed transitions between them. The

n=1

ground state at -13.6 eV is not shown, nor are sublevels for each principal quantum number

n

. The energies are listed at the right and the quantum numbers are on the left. The first series of spectral lines was discovered by Johan Jacob Balmer in 1885, followed by other series named after their discoverers.