Stark spectroscopy is a form of spectroscopy based on the Stark effect. It's application differs in chemistry and physics.

In chemistry, changes in the spectrum of a sample material due to the applied electric field of known strength are used to determine the chemical composition of the sample. Normally using UV/Vis spectroscopy), a sample is exposed to a strong electrical field which induces small changes in the energy of the electronic levels of the material under investigation and thereby small differences in the absorption spectrum.

In physics, it is the other way around: based on changes in the spectrum, conclusions are made about the electric fields present. The latter could be either static (constant in time) or dynamic (for example, microscopic chaotic fields in plasma).

See also

• Stark effect
• Plasma diagnostics