Term: excitation spectrum https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.E02253 Definition: A plot of the spectral radiant exitance or of the spectral photon exitance against the frequency (or wavenumber, or wavelength) of excitation. When corrected for wavelength dependent variations in the excitation radiant power this is called a corrected excitation spectrum. Related Terms: 1) emission spectrum (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.E02060). 2) spectral radiant exitance (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.S05825). 3) spectral photon exitance (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.S05819). 4) wavelength (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.W06659). 5) radiant power (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.R05046). 6) corrected excitation spectrum (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.C01344). Source: PAC, 1996, 68, 2223. 'Glossary of terms used in photochemistry (IUPAC Recommendations 1996)' on page 2241 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199668122223) Citation: 'excitation spectrum' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.E02253 License: The IUPAC Gold Book is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) for individual terms. Disclaimer: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is continuously reviewing and, where needed, updating terms in the Compendium of Chemical Terminology (the IUPAC Gold Book). Users of these terms are encouraged to include the version of a term with its use and to check regularly for updates to term definitions that you are using.