What Is a Rydberg Series in Spectroscopy?

[mswiggs]

Homework Statement

Find wavelengths for Hg I lines belonging to one Rydberg series. We must use the NIST homepage to find the relevant wavelengths.

Homework Equations

The problem I'm having is understanding exactly what a Rydberg series is. I seem to lack an understanding of Spectroscopic notation, and how it applies to this problem. I'm guessing I need to know the relevant atomic states that correspond to transitions in a Rydberg series. But, I don't know what a 'state' is..

We are given the example 6s6p ¹P₁ - 6sns ¹S₀. I'll try to breakdown what I understand.

6s6p refers to some electronic configuration of Hg I. ¹P₁ refers to some excited state.

6sns, not exactly sure what this means, but maybe n > 6 and thus this refers to some other electronic configuration. ¹S₀ refers to an excited state?

If I can understand the meaning of the example, then I should be able to understand which state transitions correspond to a Rydberg series. Consequently, I can find the needed wavelengths myself.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[Nate810]

The Attempt at a SolutionI understand the concept of spectroscopy, and I understand that an electron can transition between energy levels. However, I don't understand the notation given and how it applies to finding the wavelengths for a Rydberg series.