2021 PH107 Tutorial01

PH-107 (2021): Tutorial Sheet 1
* marked problems will be solved in the Wednesday tutorial class
Photoelectric Effect:
1. *In a photoelectric effect experiment, excited hydrogen atoms are used as light source.
The light emitted from this source is directed to a metal of work function Φ. In this
experiment, the following data on stopping potentials (Vs ), for various Balmer lines of
hydrogen, is obtained.
n = 4 → n = 2, transition line : VS = 0.43 V

a) What is the work function Φ of the metal in eV?

b) What is the stopping potential (in Volts) for Balmer line of the shortest wavelength?
c) What will be the photocurrent corresponding to Paschen series (ending in n = 3 )
transitions?
2. In an experiment on photoelectric effect of a metal, the stopping potentials were found to

be 4.62 V and 0.18 V for λ1 = 1850 Å and λ2 = 5460 Å, respectively. Find the value of
Planck’s constant, the threshold frequency and the work function of the metal.
3. A monochromatic light of intensity 1.0 µW/cm2 falls on a metal surface of area 1 cm2 and
work function 4.5 eV. Assume that only 3% of the incident light is absorbed by the metal
(rest is reflected back) and that the photoemission efficiency is 100 % (i.e. each absorbed
photon produces one photo-electron). The measured saturation current is 2.4 nA.
(a) Calculate the number of photons per second falling on the metal surface.
(b) What is the energy of the incident photon in eV ?
(c) What is the stopping potential ?
4. In a photoelectric experiment, a photocathode is illuminated separately by two light

sources of same intensity but different wavelengths, 480 nm and 613 nm. The result-
ing photocurrent is measured as a function of the potential difference (V ) between the
cathode and the anode. Observed photocurrent for three values of V is given below
V current (nA)
480 nm 613 nm
−0.1 76.3097 64.7039
−0.2 67.6194 44.4078
−0.3 58.9291 24.1118
(a) Using this data, obtain the work function of the photocathode and the cut off wave-
length.
(b) What is the maximum kinetic energy of the electron for λ = 480 nm? What should
be the wavelength of light to emit electrons half this kinetic energy?
1
(c) When the photocathode material is changed, it is found that the cut off frequency is
1.2 times the cut off frequency of the old material. What is the work function of the
new material?
5. Light of wavelength 2000 Å falls on a metal surface. If the work function of the metal is
4.2 eV, find the kinetic energy of the fastest and the slowest emitted photoelectrons. Also
find the stopping potential and cutoff wavelength for the metal.
Black Body Radiation:

1. * According to Planck, the spectral energy density u(λ) of a blackbody maintained at
temperature T is given by
8πhc 1
u(λ, T ) = 5

λ exp hc
−1
λkB T
where λ denotes the wavelength of radiation emitted by the blackbody.
(a) Find an expression for λmax at which u(λ, T ) attains its maximum value (at a fixed
temperature T ). λmax should be in terms of T and fundamental constants h, c and
kB .
(b) Expressing λmax as Tα , obtain an expression for umax (T ) in terms of α, T and the
fundamental constants.
2. The earth rotates in a circular orbit about the sun. The radius of the orbit is 140×106
km. The radius of the earth is 6000 km and the radius of the sun is 700,000 km. The
surface temperature of the sun is 6000 K. Assuming that the sun and the earth are perfect
black bodies, calculate the equilibrium temperature of the earth.
3. (a) Given Planck’s formula for the energy density, obtain an expression for the Rayleigh
Jeans formula for U (ν, T ).
(b) For a black body at temperature T , U (ν, T ) was measured at ν = ν0 . This value is
found to be one tenth of the value estimated using Rayleigh Jeans formula. Obtain an
implicit equation in terms of hν/kB T
(c) Solve the above equation to obtain the value of hν/kB T , up to the first decimal place.
4. Using appropriate approximations, derive Weins’ displacement law from Planck’s formula
for energy density of black body radiation.
Compton Scattering:
1. A photon of energy hν is scattered through 90◦ by an electron initially at rest. The
scattered photon has a wavelength twice that of the incident photon. Find the frequency
of the incident photon and the recoil angle of the electron.
2. Find the energy of the incident x-ray if the maximum kinetic energy of the Compton
electron is m0 c2 /2.5.
2
3. Show that a free electron cannot absorb a photon so that a photoelectron requires bound
electron. However, the electron can be free in Compton Effect. Why?
4. Two Compton scattering experiments were performed using x-rays (incident energies E1
and E2 = E1 /2). In the first experiment, the increase in wavelength of the scattered
x-ray, when measured at an angle θ = 45◦ , is 7×10−14 m. In the second experiment, the
wavelength of the scattered x-ray, when measured at an angle θ = 60◦ , is 9.9×10−12 m.
(a) Calculate the Compton wavelength and the mass (m) of the scatterer.
(b) Find the wavelengths of the incident x-rays in the two experiments.
5. Find the smallest energy that a photon can have and still transfer 50% of its energy to an
electron initially at rest.
6. *γ-rays are scattered from electrons initially at rest. Assume the it is back-scattered and
its energy is much larger than the electron’s rest-mass energy, E ≫ me c2 .
(a) Calculate the wavelength shift
(b) Show that the energy of the scattered beam is half the rest mass energy of the electron,
regardless of the energy of the incident beam
(c) Calculate the electron’s recoil kinetic energy if the energy of the incident radiation is
150MeV
7. In Compton Scattering, show that the maximum energy of the scattered photon will be
2m0 c2 , irrespective of the energy of the incident photon. Find the value of θ0 , the angle
at which the maximum energy occurs.
8. * In a Compton scattering experiment (see figure), X-rays scattered off a free electron
initially at rest at an angle θ(> π/4)), gets re-scattered by another free electron, also
initially at rest.
(a) If λ3 − λ1 = 1.538 × 10−12 m, find the value of θ.

(b) If λ2 = 68 × 10−12 m , find the angle at which the first electron recoils due to the
collision.

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PH-107 (2021): Tutorial Sheet 1

* marked problems will be solved in the Wednesday tutorial class

n = 4 → n = 2, transition line : VS = 0.43 V

a) What is the work function Φ of the metal in eV?

2. In an experiment on photoelectric effect of a metal, the stopping potentials were found to

4. In a photoelectric experiment, a photocathode is illuminated separately by two light

Black Body Radiation:

where λ denotes the wavelength of radiation emitted by the blackbody.

(a) If λ3 − λ1 = 1.538 × 10−12 m, find the value of θ.

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