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→Key Stage 5
==Key Stage 5==
===Meaning===
[[Excitation]] is the process in which an [[atom]] absorbs [[energy]] without [[Ionisation|ionizingionising]], causing an [[electron]] to move from a lower to a higher [[Energy Level|energy level]].
===About Excitation===
*The [[atom]] remains [[Neutral Charge|neutral]] as the [[electron]] is not removed from the [[atom]].
*The excited state is usually unstable, and the [[electron]] will soon return to a lower [[Energy Level|energy level]], [[emit]]ting [[energy]] in the form of a [[photon]].
*'''Excitation''' is important in understanding the the [[EmitAbsorption Spectra|absorption]] and [[Emission Spectra|emissionspectra]] spectra of [[elementatom]]s and the operation of lasersLASERs.
===Examples===
*[[Neon]] signs glow due to the '''excitation''' of [[Neon]] [[atom]]s and subsequent [[Emit|emission]] of light.
*[[Fluorescent]] lamps work by '''exciting''' [[Mercury (Element)|Mercury]] vapor, which then [[emit]]s [[ultraviolet]] [[Visible Light|light]] that causes the [[phosphor]] coating to glow.