The splitting of lines in the spectra of atoms due to the presence of a strong electric field. It is named after the German physicist Johannes Stark (1874–1957), who discovered it in 1913. Like the normal Zeeman effect, the Stark effect can be understood in terms of the classical electron theory of Lorentz. The Stark effect for hydrogen atoms was also described by the Bohr theory of the atom. In terms of quantum mechanics, the Stark effect is described by regarding the electric field as a perturbation on the quantum states and energy levels of an atom in the absence of an electric field. This application of perturbation theory was its first use in quantum mechanics.