The discovery of the N series in the X-ray spectra of atoms (Bi, Th, U) in 1922 is placed in the context of the old quantum theory. The roles and mutual interactions of the protagonists, Václav Dolejšek and Manne Siegbahn, throughout the late 1930s are described. Dolejšek's participation in the Czech Resistance during World War II and his tragic death in 1945 are briefly recounted.The discovery of the N series in the X-ray spectra of atoms was a feat in technical inventiveness and skill, augmented by a measure of fine diplomacy. The experiment that led to the discovery was carried out seventy-seven years ago in the laboratory of Manne Siegbahn at the University of Lund by Václav Dolejšek. 1 The search for the long-wavelength N series followed upon the experimental work of C. G. Barkla, H. G. J. Moseley, and Siegbahn and shared their faith in the old quantum theory of the atom. The theory was in a shaky state by 1922, at odds with a host of dependable new spectroscopic data in the visible range, its strongest pillar over most of the previous decade. An especially pernicious handicap, in retrospect, was the absence of the concept of electron spin, which precluded the much-sought explanation of the anomalous Zeeman effect and of the spectrum of helium. The perception of an all-out crisis was alleviated by the Stern-Gerlach experiment, 2 which proved the reality of space quantization (and, unwittingly, of electron spin) -and by X-ray spectra, including the new addition, the N series. As Friedrich Hund put it, ''Pride and doubt stood close to one another. '' 3 Ever since Moseley established the connection between the X-ray transition frequencies and the atomic number, 4 X-ray spectroscopy had become one of the key tools in the quest for the understanding of atomic structure. In combination with Barkla's earlier discovery of characteristic X rays (the K and L series of the elements), 5 this role of X-ray spectroscopy was further enhanced by the expansion and refinement of the methods by Siegbahn (leading also to the discovery of the M series). 6 Particularly Niels Bohr, in his work on multi-electron atoms and on the * Dr. Friedrich is Senior Research Fellow and Lecturer at Harvard University whose research interests include atomic and molecular trapping, interactions of molecules with strong static and radiative fields, collisions of polarized molecules, and aspects of chemical catalysis.
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