Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 October 2008
1. Changes in the relative intensities of the lines in the fluorescent L-spectrum of Cerium excited by radiation of various wave-lengths have been observed.
2. These results imply a change in the relative absorbing powers of the three L-levels as the wave-length of the absorbed radiation diminishes from a value just below the absorption wave-length of the L-levels to a value considerably below. The absorbing power of the LI-level becomes increased relative to the absorbing powers of the other L-levels as the wave-length diminishes. The results agree with those published by H. Robinson in a recent paper.
3. These results imply a breakdown of the law that μ/λ3 is a constant (where μ is the absorption coefficient of X-rays of wave-length λ) as applied to the individual L-levels of an element.
4. A comparison is made between the above results, and some results on the relative absorbing process of the L-levels obtained by Ellis and Skinner from β-ray spectra.
* Ellis, C. D., Proc. Camb. Phil. Soc., vol. 21, p. 121 (1922)Google Scholar. (See also further Ellis, and Skinner, , Proc. Roy. Soc., A., vol. 105, p. 185 (1924))CrossRefGoogle Scholar.
† I am informed by Dr Ellis that Dr D. Coster also had the idea, about the same time, of comparing the results obtained from β-ray spectra with those of experiments on X-rays to be tried.
* See e.g. Duane, and Patterson, , Proc. Nat. Acad., vol. 6, p. 477 (1920)CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Dauvillier, A., Comptes Rendus, t. 178, p. 477 (1924)Google Scholar.
† Robinson, H., Proc. Roy. Soc., A., vol. 104, p. 445 (1923)CrossRefGoogle Scholar.
* Phil. Mag., vol. 42, p. 419 (1921)Google Scholar.
* Proc. Roy. Soc., A., vol. 104, p. 248 (1923)Google Scholar.
* Einstein, , Phys. Zeit., vol. 18, p. 121 (1917).Google Scholar
* See e.g. Ellis, and Skinner, , Proc. Roy. Soc., A., vol. 105, p. 165 (1924).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
† Ellis, and Skinner, , Proc. Roy. Soc., A., vol. 105, p. 185 (1924)CrossRefGoogle Scholar.
‡ See the last quoted paper, p. 185, where the possibility of the “radiationless” ejection of an electron, from the radioactive atom, as suggested by Rosseland, is discussed.
* See the last quoted paper of Ellis and Skinner, p. 187.
* It should be stated that for the purpose of drawing the diagram we have assumed, without any direct evidence in the region of such short wave-lengths, that the λ3 law still holds for the L-levels taken as a whole.