Engineering Physics

PHY-109
Unit IV :Quantum Mechanics
ELECTROMAGNETIC THEORY

LASER WAVES

SOLID STATE PHYSICS

Dr. Subhojyoti Sinha
FIBER OPTICS Department of Physics
School of Computer Science and Engineering
Lovely Professional University Punjab
India 1
Lecture Outline:
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 Introduction: Development of Quantum mechanics
Newton’s laws describe the motion of particles in classical
mechanics and Maxwell’s equations describe the
electromagnetic fields in classical electromagnetism.

❑ The classical mechanics correctly explains the motion of celestial

bodies like planets, stars, macroscopic and microscopic terrestrial
bodies moving with non-relativistic speeds.

❑ However, classical theory does not hold in the region of atomic

dimensions, i.e., it cannot explain the non-relativistic motion of
electrons, protons etc. Classical theory could not explain the
stability of atoms, spectral distribution of blackbody radiation,
the origin of discrete spectra of atoms, etc. Also, classical
mechanics could not explain a large number of observed
phenomena like photoelectric effect, Compton effect, Raman
effect, etc.

✓ So, the insufficiency of classical mechanics led to the

development of quantum mechanics.

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@Dr. Subhojyoti Sinha Ref: Engineering Physics : HK Malik and AK Singh
 Failures of the classical concepts

2. Spectral distribution of blackbody radiation

3. Origin of discrete spectra of atoms
4. Photoelectric effect
5. Compton effect 4
 It cannot explain the features of photoelectric effect

• Why was red light incapable of knocking electrons out

of certain materials, no matter how bright it is but
blue light could readily do so even at modest
intensities !!

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@Dr. Subhojyoti Sinha
 What is Compton effect ?
The Compton effect is the term used for an unusual result observed when X-rays are scattered on some
materials. By
classical theory, when an electromagnetic wave is scattered off atoms, the wavelength of the scattered radiation is
expected to be the same as the wavelength of the incident radiation. Contrary to this prediction of classical
physics, observations show that when X-rays are scattered off some materials, such as graphite, the scattered X-
rays have different wavelengths from the wavelength of the incident X-rays. This classically unexplainable
phenomenon was studied experimentally by Arthur H. Compton and his collaborators, and Compton gave its
explanation in 1923.

@Dr. Subhojyoti Sinha

Experimental setup for studying Compton scattering. 6
 What is Quantum mechanics ?
Quantum mechanics is the description of
motion and interaction of particles at small
scales where the discrete nature of the
physical world becomes important.

❖ Quantum mechanics is a set of mathematical principle that attempts

to explain the behavior of atomic and sub atomic particles.

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@Dr. Subhojyoti Sinha Ref: Engineering Physics : HK Malik and AK Singh
 Development of Quantum mechanics
The development of quantum mechanics took place in two stages :-

The first stage: It began (in the year 1900) with Max Planck’s hypothesis according to which the radiation is
emitted or absorbed by matter in discrete packets or quanta of energy. This energy is equal to ℎʋ, where h is Planck’s
constant and ʋ is the frequency of radiation. This hypothesis led to a theory which was not completely satisfactory
being a mixture of classical and non-classical concepts.

The second stage: It began in 1925 along with two points of views. For example, (i) matrix mechanics was
introduced by Heisenberg, in which only observed quantities like frequencies and intensities of spectral lines are
taken into account and unobserved quantities like positions, velocities, etc. in electronic orbits are omitted.
(ii) Another form of quantum mechanics is called wave mechanics, whose theory was developed by Schroedinger in
1926. In this mechanics, concepts of classical wave theory and deBroglie’s wave particle relationship are combined
with each other.

With the application of quantum mechanics, several problems of atomic physics have been solved. However, this
mechanics also has certain limitations. Therefore, a more complete theory of particles called quantum field theory
has been accepted since 1947.

In order to understand the development of wave mechanics, we begin with the blackbody radiation.
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@Dr. Subhojyoti Sinha Ref: Engineering Physics : HK Malik and AK Singh
 Emission of Radiation
❖ All bodies emit electromagnetic radiation over a range of wavelengths.
A cooler body radiates less energy than a warmer body.
➢ We also know by observation that when a body is heated and its
temperature rises, the perceived wavelength of its emitted radiation
changes from infrared to red, and then from red to orange, and so forth.
As its temperature rises, the body glows with the colors corresponding
to ever-smaller wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum.

➢ This is the underlying principle of the incandescent light bulb: A hot

metal filament glows red, and when heating continues, its glow
eventually covers the entire visible portion of the electromagnetic
spectrum. The temperature (T) of the object that emits radiation, or the
emitter, determines the wavelength at which the radiated energy is at
its maximum.
➢ For example, the Sun, whose surface temperature is in the range
between 5000 K and 6000 K, radiates most strongly in a range of
wavelengths about 560 nm in the visible part of the electromagnetic
spectrum.
➢ Our body, when at its normal temperature of about 300 K, radiates most
strongly in the infrared part of the spectrum.
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@Dr. Subhojyoti Sinha Image ref: Principles of General Chemistry, Wikipedia
What is Blackbody radiation?
Radiation that is incident on an object is partially absorbed and partially reflected.
At thermodynamic equilibrium, the rate at which an object absorbs radiation is the
same as the rate at which it emits it. Therefore, a good absorber of radiation (any
object that absorbs radiation) is also a good emitter. A perfect absorber absorbs all
electromagnetic radiation incident on it; such an object is called a blackbody. The
term “blackbody” was coined by Gustav R. Kirchhoff in 1862.
Blackbody radiation : It is an ideal body (absorber) that absorbs all
radiation incident upon it, regardless of frequency. If we heat a blackbody, then
it emits radiation which is called blackbody radiation.
If a body adsorbs all the radiant energy falling on it, then its absorptive power is
unity . Although the blackbody is an idealization, because no physical object
absorbs 100% of incident radiation, we can construct a close realization of a
blackbody in the form of a small hole in the wall of a sealed enclosure known as a
cavity radiator, as shown in the Figure here. The inside walls of a cavity radiator are
rough and blackened so that any radiation that enters through a tiny hole in the cavity A blackbody is physically
wall becomes trapped inside the cavity. At thermodynamic equilibrium (at realized by a small hole in the
temperature T), the cavity walls absorb exactly as much radiation as they emit. wall of a cavity radiator.
Furthermore, inside the cavity, the radiation entering the hole is balanced by the
radiation leaving it. The emission spectrum of a blackbody can be obtained by
analyzing the light radiating from the hole. Electromagnetic waves emitted by a
blackbody areSinha
@Dr. Subhojyoti called blackbody radiation. 10
 Blackbody radiation spectra
The intensity I(λ, T) of blackbody radiation depends on
the wavelength λ of the emitted radiation and on the
temperature T of the blackbody.

The function I(λ, T) is the power intensity that is

radiated per unit wavelength; in other words, it is the
power radiated per unit area of the hole in a cavity
radiator per unit wavelength. According to this
definition, I(λ, T)dλ is the power per unit area that is
emitted in the wavelength interval from λ to λ + dλ. The
intensity distribution among wavelengths of radiation
emitted by cavities was studied experimentally at the
end of the nineteenth century.

Generally, radiation emitted by materials only

approximately follows the blackbody radiation curve The intensity of blackbody radiation versus the wavelength of the
however, spectra of common stars do follow the emitted radiation. Each curve corresponds to a different blackbody
blackbody radiation curve very closely. temperature, starting with a low temperature (the lowest curve) to a
high temperature (the highest curve).

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@Dr. Subhojyoti Sinha
Two important laws summarize the experimental findings of blackbody
radiation: Wien’s displacement law and Stefan’s law.

Wien’s displacement law: The peak in the blackbody spectrum shifts to progressively
shorter wavelength (higher frequencies) as the temperature is increased.

λmax T = Constant = 2.898 × 10−3 m·K

where λmax is the position of the maximum in the radiation curve. In other
words, λmax is the wavelength at which a blackbody radiates most strongly at a
given temperature T. Note that in this equation the temperature is in kelvins.

Wien’s displacement law allows us to estimate the temperatures of distant

stars by measuring the wavelength of radiation they emit.

Note that Wien’s displacement law tells us that the higher the temperature of
an emitting body, the shorter the wavelength of the radiation it emits.
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@Dr. Subhojyoti Sinha Ref: Concept of Modern Physics by Aurther Beiser.
 Check Your Understanding

The flame of a candle has a yellowish color and the

flame of a Bunsen’s burner in a chemistry lab has a
bluish color. Which flame has a higher temperature?

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@Dr. Subhojyoti Sinha
Q. Which of the following cannot be explained by the laws
of classical Physics

(A)Blackbody radiation
(B)Photoelectric effect
(C)Stability of the atoms
(D)All of these

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Q. The peak in the blackbody spectrum shifts to
progressively _____________ as the temperature is
increased.

(A) shorter wavelength (higher frequencies)

(B) longer wavelength ( lower frequencies)
(C) none of these

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Online simulation: https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/blackbody-spectrum/latest/blackbody-spectrum_en.html

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 Stefan’s Law
Stefan’s law is associated with the total power of blackbody radiation emitted across
the entire spectrum of wavelengths at a given temperature. This total power is
represented by the area under the blackbody radiation curve for a given T. As the
temperature of a blackbody increases, the total emitted power also increases.
Quantitatively, Stefan’s law expresses this relation as-

𝑷(𝑻) = σA𝑻𝟒
where A is the surface area of a blackbody, T is its temperature (in kelvins), and σ is the Stefan–Boltzmann
constant, σ = 5.670 ×10-8 W/(m2.K4).

Stefan’s law enables us to estimate how much energy a star is radiating by remotely
measuring its temperature.

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@Dr. Subhojyoti Sinha
 Check Your Understanding
Q. Suppose that two stars, α and β, radiate exactly the same
total power. If the radius of star α is three times that of star β,
Which one is hotter?
(A) Star β is hotter
(B) Star α is hotter

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@Dr. Subhojyoti Sinha
 Theoretical explanation of the Blackbody radiation spectra
The physical model of a blackbody at temperature T is that of the
electromagnetic waves enclosed in a cavity (see Figure) and at
thermodynamic equilibrium with the cavity walls. The waves can exchange
energy with the walls. The objective here is to find the energy density
distribution among various modes of vibration at various wavelengths (or
frequencies). In other words, we want to know how much energy is carried
by a single wavelength or a band of wavelengths. Once we know the energy
distribution, we can use standard statistical methods (similar to those
studied in a previous chapter) to obtain the blackbody radiation curve,
Stefan’s law, and Wien’s displacement law.

When the physical model is

correct, the theoretical predictions
should be the same as the
experimental curves.
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@Dr. Subhojyoti Sinha
 Rayleigh–Jeans law
In a classical approach to the blackbody radiation problem, in
which radiation is treated as waves, the modes of
electromagnetic waves trapped in the cavity are in equilibrium
and continually exchange their energies with the cavity walls.
Any amount of energy can be exchanged, either by being
transferred from the wave to the material in the wall or by
being received by the wave from the material in the wall.

This classical picture is the basis of the model developed by

Lord Rayleigh and, independently, by Sir James Jeans. The
result of this classical model for blackbody radiation curves is
known as the Rayleigh–Jeans law.

However, as shown in the Figure , the Rayleigh–Jeans law fails to correctly reproduce experimental results.
In the limit of short wavelengths, the Rayleigh–Jeans law predicts infinite radiation intensity, which is inconsistent with the
experimental results in which radiation intensity has finite values in the ultraviolet region of the spectrum.
This divergence between the results of classical theory and experiments, which came to be called the ultraviolet
catastrophe, shows how classical physics fails to explain the mechanism of blackbody radiation.
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@Dr. Subhojyoti Sinha
 Planck’s Quantum Hypothesis

The blackbody radiation problem was solved in 1900 by Max

Planck. Planck used the same idea as the Rayleigh–Jeans
model in the sense that he treated the electromagnetic waves
between the walls inside the cavity classically, and assumed
that the radiation is in equilibrium with the cavity walls.

The innovative idea that Planck introduced in his model is the

assumption that the cavity radiation originates from atomic
oscillations inside the cavity walls, and that these oscillations
can have only discrete values of energy. Therefore, the
radiation trapped inside the cavity walls can exchange energy
with the walls only in discrete amounts.

Planck’s theoretical result (continuous curve) and the

experimental blackbody radiation curve (dots).
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@Dr. Subhojyoti Sinha
 Planck’s Quantum Hypothesis ( continued)
Planck’s hypothesis of discrete energy values, which he called
quanta, assumes that the oscillators inside the cavity walls have
quantized energies. This was a brand new idea that went beyond the
classical physics of the nineteenth century because, in the classical
picture, the energy of an oscillator can take on any continuous value.
Planck assumed that the energy of an oscillator ( En ) can have
only discrete, or quantized, values:

En = nhf , where n = 1, 2, 3, ...

Here f is the frequency of Planck’s oscillator. The natural number n
that enumerates these discrete energies is called a quantum number.
The physical constant h is called Planck’s constant:
h = 6.626 × 10−34 J · s = 4.136 × 10−15 eV·

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@Dr. Subhojyoti Sinha
 Planck’s Quantum Hypothesis ( continued)
Each discrete energy value corresponds to a quantum state of a Planck oscillator.
Quantum states are enumerated by quantum numbers.
For example, when Planck’s oscillator is in its first n = 1 quantum state, its energy is
E1 = h f ; when it is in the n = 2 quantum state, its energy is E2 = 2h f ; when it is in the
n = 3 quantum state, E3 = 3h f ; and so on.

Note that the equation : En= nhf shows that there are infinitely many quantum states,
which can be represented as a sequence {hf,2hf, 3hf,…, (n – 1)hf, nhf, (n + 1) hf,…}.
Each two consecutive quantum states in this sequence are separated by an energy
jump, ΔE = h f .
An oscillator in the wall can receive energy from the radiation in the cavity (absorption), or it can give away
energy to the radiation in the cavity (emission). The absorption process sends the oscillator to a higher
quantum state, and the emission process sends the oscillator to a lower quantum state. Whichever way this
exchange of energy goes, the smallest amount of energy that can be exchanged is hf. There is no upper limit to
how much energy can be exchanged, but whatever is exchanged must be an integer multiple of hf. If the energy
packet does not have this exact amount, it is neither absorbed nor emitted at the wall of the blackbody.

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Planck’s blackbody radiation law
Planck’s hypothesis gives the following theoretical expression for the
power intensity of emitted radiation per unit wavelength:

where c is the speed of light in vacuum and kB is Boltzmann’s constant, Planck’s theoretical result (continuous curve) and
kB = 1.380 × 10−23 J/K. the experimental blackbody radiation curve (dots).

The theoretical formula expressed in this Equation is called Planck’s blackbody

radiation law.
This law is in agreement with the experimental blackbody radiation curve.
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@Dr. Subhojyoti Sinha
 Photoelectric effect

Photoelectric effect
ELECTROMAGNETIC THEORY

•Physical characteristics of the photoelectric effect.

•Why the photoelectric effect cannot be explained by classical
physics?
LASER WAVES

•How Einstein’s idea of a particle of radiation explains the

photoelectric effect? Quantum approach ! SOLID STATE PHYSICS

FIBER OPTICS

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What is photoelectric effect?
When light of suitable frequency is incident onto a clean metal surface
it will cause electrons to leave that surface ( the light will eject the
electrons from the surface). This is called photoelectric effect and the
electrons are called photoelectrons.
Experimental setup:
The experimental setup to study the photoelectric effect is shown
schematically in this Figure . The target material serves as the cathode,
which becomes the emitter of photoelectrons when it is illuminated by
monochromatic radiation. We call this electrode the photoelectrode.
Photoelectrons are collected at the anode. The potential difference
between the electrodes can be increased or decreased, or its polarity
can be reversed. The electrodes are enclosed in an evacuated glass
tube so that photoelectrons do not lose their kinetic energy on
collisions with air molecules in the space between electrodes.
Fig. An experimental setup to study the photoelectric effect. The
anode and cathode are enclosed in an evacuated glass tube. The
Materials: Alkali metals like lithium, sodium, potassium etc. are found to be very voltmeter measures the electric potential difference between the
photo-sensitive. They emit electrons even when ordinary visible light falls on them. electrodes, and the ammeter measures the photocurrent. The
Experiments show that with light of suitable frequencies(ultraviolet rays, X-rays and ɣ- incident radiation is monochromatic.
rays) almost all metals exhibit photoelectric effect.
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@Dr. Subhojyoti Sinha Ref: Concept of Modern Physics by Arthur Beiser
 Check out this Simulation: Virtual Lab
https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/cheerpj/photoelectric/latest/photoelectric.html?simulation=photoelectric

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 Experimental observations
(1) If the frequency of the incident radiation is greater than the
threshold frequency (ʋ0) (certain minimum frequency), only A
then the emission of electrons takes place.

(2) There is no time lag between illumination of the metal

surface and the emission of electrons.

(3) The maximum kinetic energy EK of the photoelectrons is

independent of the intensity I of the incident light. That is
stopping potential is same for the light of different intensities
having same frequency.

(4) The maximum kinetic energy of the photoelectrons depends B

on the frequency of the incident radiation. From Fig. A, we
observe that at different frequencies, stopping potential is also
different but the saturation current remains the same.

(5) The photoelectric current increases with the increasing

intensity I of the incident radiation, if the frequency is kept
constant. As shown in Fig. B.

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Dr. Subhojyoti Sinha Ref: Engineering Physics : HK Malik and AK Singh
Q. In case of Photoelectric effect if the intensity of the
incident light increases ( frequency above the
threshold frequency) then the photocurrent

(A)Increases
(B)Decreases
(C)Remains the same

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 The photoelectric effect has three important characteristics
that cannot be explained by classical physics:

(1) the absence of a lag time,

(2) the presence of a cut-off frequency,
(3) the independence of the kinetic energy of photoelectrons
on the intensity of incident radiation.
(1) The absence of lag time: When radiation strikes the target material in the electrode,
electrons are emitted almost instantaneously, even at very low intensities of incident
radiation. This absence of lag time contradicts our understanding based on classical
physics. Classical physics predicts that for low-energy radiation, it would take significant
time before irradiated electrons could gain sufficient energy to leave the electrode
surface; however, such an energy buildup is not observed.
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@Dr. Subhojyoti Sinha
(2) The presence of a cut-off frequency: For any metal surface, there is a minimum frequency of incident radiation
below which photocurrent does not occur. The value of this cut-off frequency for the photoelectric effect is a physical
property of the metal: Different materials have different values of cut-off frequency. Experimental data show a typical
linear trend. The kinetic energy of photoelectrons at the surface grows linearly with the increasing frequency of
incident radiation. Measurements for all metal surfaces give linear plots with one slope. None of these observed
phenomena is in accord with the classical understanding of nature. According to the classical description, the
kinetic energy of photoelectrons should not depend on the frequency of incident radiation at all, and there
should be no cut-off frequency. Instead, in the classical picture, electrons receive energy from the incident
electromagnetic wave in a continuous way, and the amount of energy they receive depends only on the intensity of the
incident light and nothing else. So in the classical understanding, as long as the light is shining, the photoelectric effect
is expected to continue.

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Ref: Concept of Modern Physics by Arthur Beiser @Dr. Subhojyoti Sinha
 (3) The independence of the kinetic energy of photoelectrons
on the intensity of incident radiation : Typical experimental
curves are shown in Figure, in which the photocurrent is plotted
versus the applied potential difference between the electrodes. For
the positive potential difference, the current steadily grows until it
reaches a plateau. Furthering the potential increase beyond this
point does not increase the photocurrent at all. A higher intensity of
radiation produces a higher value of photocurrent. For the
negative potential difference, as the absolute value of the
potential difference increases, the value of the photocurrent
decreases and becomes zero at the stopping potential. For any
intensity of incident radiation, whether the intensity is high or low,
the value of the stopping potential always stays at one value.

In classical theory, the photoelectron absorbs electromagnetic energy in a continuous way; this means that when
the incident radiation has a high intensity, the kinetic energy is expected to be high. Similarly, when the radiation has a low
intensity, the kinetic energy is expected to be low. But the experiment shows that the maximum kinetic energy of
photoelectrons is independent of the light intensity.

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@Dr. Subhojyoti Sinha
 More discussion on the failure of the classical wave theory…..

The classical wave theory of light fails to account for the characteristics of the photo electric effect.
According to the wave theory, the energy of light is equally distributed uniformly over the entire
wavefront. So it is difficult to understand how such uniformly distributed energy could suddenly
concentrate on extremely small cross-section of the electron. Calculations on the basis of wave theory
shows that the time required for an atom to gather sufficient energy from such wavefront, so that the
electron may escape the surface, may in some cases run into several days. But experiment shows that
the effect is instantaneous. Further application of wave theory to photo electric effect compels us to
conclude that the initial velocity of electron emission should depend on the intensity of the incident
light which is contrary to experimental findings. The existence of threshold frequency in each case, is
also, contrary to the conditions of wave theory, for it seems quite without reason why a sufficiently
intense beam of low frequency fails to liberate an electron while a feeble beam of high frequency
succeeds in doing so.

………….Then how we can explain the photoelectric effect??

In 1905 , Einstein applied the concepts of quantum theory to it.

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@Dr. Subhojyoti Sinha Ref: Concept of Modern Physics by Arthur Beiser
 Einstein’s approach

In Einstein’s approach, a beam of monochromatic light of frequency ʋ is made of photons.

A photon is a particle of light. Each photon moves at the speed of light and carries an
energy quantum E. A photon’s energy depends only on its frequency ʋ. Explicitly, the
energy of a photon is E=hʋ. where h is Planck’s constant.
In the photoelectric effect, photons arrive at the metal surface and each photon gives away all of its energy to only one
electron on the metal surface. This transfer of energy from photon to electron is of the “all or nothing” type, and there
are no fractional transfers in which a photon would lose only part of its energy and survive. The essence of a quantum
phenomenon is either a photon transfers its entire energy and ceases to exist or there is no transfer at all. This is in
contrast with the classical picture, where fractional energy transfers are permitted.
Having this quantum understanding, the energy balance is
𝟏
𝒉ʋ = 𝑲𝑬𝒎𝒂𝒙 +𝝓 = 𝒎𝒗𝟐𝒎𝒂𝒙 +hʋ𝟎
𝟐
where KEmax is the maximum kinetic energy, that an electron has at the very instant it gets detached from the surface.
In this energy balance equation, 𝝓 is the energy needed to detach a photoelectron from the surface. This energy 𝝓 is
called the work function of the metal. Each metal has its characteristic work function. ʋ0 is the threshold frequency.

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@Dr. Subhojyoti Sinha
 ❑ In Einstein’s interpretation, interactions take place between individual electrons and individual photons. The absence
of a lag time means that these one-on-one interactions occur instantaneously. This interaction time cannot be
increased by lowering the light intensity. The light intensity corresponds to the number of photons arriving at the
metal surface per unit time. Even at very low light intensities, the photoelectric effect still occurs because the
interaction is between one electron and one photon. As long as there is at least one photon with enough energy to
transfer it to a bound electron, a photoelectron will appear on the surface of the photoelectrode.

❑ The existence of the cut-off frequency ʋ0 for the photoelectric effect follows from the previous because the kinetic
energy KEmax of the photoelectron can take only positive values. This means that there must be some threshold
frequency for which the kinetic energy is zero. In this way, we obtain the explicit formula for cut-off frequency:
𝝓 𝒉𝒄
ʋ0= in term of wavelength 𝝀𝟎 = this is known as cutoff wavelength or threshold wavelength .
𝒉 𝝓
𝟏𝟐𝟒𝟎 𝒆𝑽.𝒏𝒎
The value of hc=1240 eV.nm so the threshold wavelength can also be written as 𝝀𝟎 =
𝝓 𝒆𝑽

❑ Cut-off frequency depends only on the work function of the metal and is in direct proportion to it. When the work
function is large (when electrons are bound fast to the metal surface), the energy of the threshold photon must be
large to produce a photoelectron, and then the corresponding threshold frequency is large. Photons with frequencies
larger than the threshold frequency ʋc always produce photoelectrons because they have KEmax > 0. Photons with
frequencies smaller than ʋ0 do not have enough energy to produce photoelectrons. Therefore, when incident radiation
has a frequency below the cutoff frequency, the photoelectric effect is not observed.
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@Dr. Subhojyoti Sinha
 Threshold frequency, Work function, Stopping potential and Kinetic energy of the emitted electrons

Threshold frequency (ʋ0): It is the minimum

frequency of the incident radiation that can cause the
emission of photoelectrons with zero kinetic energy
from the surface and below which no emission occurs.
Its unit is Hz.

Work function (ɸ=hʋ0): The photo electric work

function of a metal is a measure of the work which
electrons must do in overcoming the surface forces on
escaping.
Its unit is eV or Joule

Stopping potential (V0): The retarding potential for

which the photo-electric current just becomes zero is
called the stopping potential for this particular
frequency of the incident light.
Its unit is Volt.

eV0= (KE)max
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Fig ref: Concept of modern physics by Arthur Beiser
Go through the text books and the reference books, as mentioned in your syllabus (PHY109), thoroughly.
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Fig ref: Concept of Modern Physics by Arthur Beiser
Q. It is possible to liberate an electron from a metal
surface having work function 4.8 eV with an incident
radiation of wavelength - h=Planck's constant = 6.63 x10 J s
c= speed of light =3x 10 m/s
8
-34

(A)5000 Å
(B) 2000 Å

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39
Q. If ʋ represents the frequency of the incident light
and ʋ0 represents the threshold frequency for a
particular metal. Then the maximum velocity of the
electrons (having mass m) can be represented as
𝟐𝒉
(A) ℎ ʋ − ʋ𝟎 (B) ʋ𝟎 − ʋ
𝒎
𝟐𝒎 𝟐𝒉
(C) ʋ − ʋ𝟎 (D) ʋ − ʋ𝟎
𝒉 𝒎

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Q. The threshold frequency for photoelectric
emission in copper is 1.10×1015 Hz. Find the
maximum kinetic energy in eV when light of
frequency 1.20×1015 Hz is directed on the copper
surface. h=Planck's constant = 6.63 x10 J s
-34

c= speed of light =3x 10 m/s

8

(A)0.41 eV
(B)0.66 eV
(C) 0 eV

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