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Linewidth




Several definitions are used to quantify the spectral linewidth, e.g. the Full Width At Half Maximum (FWHM).

Whereas the spectral width of a resonator in electronics depends on the parameters of the used components and therefore can be adjusted according to the wishes of the engineer, things are different in physics. Even a resting atom which does not interact with its environment has a ''non-zero linewidth'', called the natural linewidth, which is a consequence of the Transform Limit (classical description) and the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle (quantum mechanical description). This linewidth is a fundamental property of atomic emission and cannot be adjusted arbitrarily (see Homogeneity (physics) ).


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