Doppler broadening refers to the phenomenon where the spectral lines of atoms or molecules become wider due to the relative motion between the source of light and the observer. This effect arises from the Doppler effect, where the frequency of light is altered depending on whether the source is moving toward or away from the observer. As a result, in a gas at finite temperature, atoms move with a range of velocities, leading to a distribution of frequencies and thus a broadening of the observed spectral lines.
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