Moderate

The excited state which persists for an unusually longer period of time is called

Correct answer: C. Metastable state

  • A. Ground state
  • B. Ionized state
  • C. Metastable state
  • D. Ordinary excited state

Explanation

A metastable state is an excited state of an atom or molecule that has a longer-than-average lifetime before spontaneously transitioning to a lower-energy state. These states are often important in laser physics and atomic spectroscopy.

Last updated

About Atomic Spectra

Atoms emit or absorb light at specific wavelengths because electrons occupy quantized energy levels and change levels by absorbing or releasing photons. The topic covers emission and absorption spectra, spectral series, hydrogen’s line spectrum, energy-level transitions, and the relation between wavelength, frequency and photon energy.

Practise Atomic Spectra

356 free Atomic Spectra MCQs from Physics, each with the correct answer and an explanation. Unlimited attempts, no account needed.

Exams that ask Physics questions like this

Physics is on 13 papers prepared for on TestUstad, and all of them draw the same bank, so this question is worth knowing for every one of them.

Related questions