The electron loses the energy and comes back to its ground state.
The energy emitted by the electron is seen in the form of electromagnetic
energy and when the wavelength is in the visible region it is visible as an
emission line.
Bohr’s model explains all the line spectra observed in the case of
hydrogen atom. It is a successful model as far as line spectra of hydrogen
atom is concerned.
But the line spectrum of hydrogen atom when observed through a high
resolution spectroscope appears as groups of finer lines.
• Did Bohr’s model account for the splitting of line spectra of a hydrogen
atom into finer lines?
Bohr’s model failed to account for splitting of line spectra.
Bohr-Sommerfeld model of an atom
In an attempt to account for the structure (splitting) of line spectra
known as fine spectra, Sommerfeld modified Bohr’s atomic model by
adding elliptical orbits. While retaining the first of Bohr’s circular orbit
as such, he added one elliptical orbit to Bohr’s second orbit, two elliptical
orbits to Bohr’s third orbit, etc., such that the nucleus of the atom is one
of the principal foci of these elliptical orbits. He was guided by the fact
that, in general, periodic motion under the influence of a central force
will lead to elliptical orbits with the force situated at one of the foci.
Bohr-Sommerfeld model, though successful in accounting for the fine
line structure of hydrogen atomic spectra, does not provide a satisfactory
picture of the structure of atom in general.
This model failed to account for the atomic spectra of atoms of more
than one electron.
