absorption edge
absorption edge, in physics, abrupt increase in the degree of absorption of electromagnetic radiation by a substance as the frequency of the radiation is increased. Absorption edges are particularly characteristic of the behaviour of X-rays and are related to the sharply defined levels of energy that electrons occupy in atoms.
Citation Information
Article Title:
absorption edge
Website Name:
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher:
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published:
12 March 2018
Access Date:
February 22, 2025