image credit: Mikhail Matz; image source; larger image
Detecting Fluorescence: Green, Yellow, Orange, and Red in the Deep Sea
To attract prey, this jellyfish fluoresces in the blue light of the ocean. In fluorescence, atoms or molecules absorb light at one wavelength and re-emit light at a longer wavelength, which corresponds to a lower energy.
-- To find out how fluorescence is functional for ocean organisms, visit Fluorescence: the Secret Color of the Deep.
-- To learn how fluorescence in the ocean is investigated, see Detecting Fluorescence: Green, Yellow, Orange, and Red in the Deep Sea .
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Fluorescence Spectroscopy
Try this Visual Quantum Mechanics simulation of a fluorescent light to explore the relationships among energy levels, excitation energy, and emitted light.
(This feature was updated on December 3, 2013.)