The Fine Structure of the Balmer Lines

Abstract

A new method of treating interferometer patterns of doublets has been applied to the study of the Balmer series. The method involves the measurement of the intensities of the minima between the members of the doublet and between successive orders of interference. This gives for the separations of the centers of gravity for $\mathrm{H}\beta$, $\Delta \nu =0.3298\mathrm{}\pm 0.0004$; for $\mathrm{H}\gamma$, $\Delta \nu =0.3388\mathrm{}\pm 0.0004$; for $\mathrm{H}\delta$, $\Delta \nu =0.3451\mathrm{}\pm 0.0006$; and for $\mathrm{H}\epsilon$, $\Delta \nu =0.3506\mathrm{}\pm 0.0006$. These values are far too small to agree with the ordinary theory of these lines and it must be concluded that the structure is not quite that expected. The discrepancy may lie in the neglect of the radiation reaction in the calculation of the energy levels.