- - - - Negatively

Zinc
charge Zinc - - - -

1. Negatively charge a sheet of zinc.

2. Shine long wavelength radio waves on the zinc.
3. Zinc remains negatively charged.
4. Increase intensity of radio waves…
5. Zinc remains negatively charged.
6. Change wavelength of EM radiation
7. Zinc discharges!
 What’s happening?
• E-M radiation is causing the electrons to
leave the metal, making it discharge.
e e e
• These are called electrons photoelectrons.
- - - - NegativelyZinc
charge Zinc - - - -

Why?
E-M waves deliver energy
If they deliver enough energy to a particular electron, that electron could use the
energy to leave the metal surface.

Any wave will deliver energy !

If you shine any radiation onto E-Mcan
We radiation does
only explain
the metal for long enough We call these
not
the always behave
photoelectric
like a wave
effect if E-M-radiation
a smooth
eventually enough energy will lumps
continuous
is behavingquanta
stream
like of
packets
be delivered to allow electrons or
of photons.
energy
energy being
being
to leave. delivered
delivered one
to aby one.
point.
Also, if you increase the
intensity of the radiation, it
WAVE should occur sooner. QUANTUM
THEORY THEORY
p What’s the energy of a photon?

E=hf
f = the frequency of the radiation
h = Planck's constant

f=c/λ

LOW ENERGY ! HIGH ENERGY !

 The Rules!

Each photon only interacts with one electron.

It delivers its energy to the electron and disappears (because it is a packet of pure energy and
nothing else.)
 Electron now has extra energy.
If it has enough extra energy it can leave the metal atom.

So only photons above the threshold frequency, fo, will cause photoelectric emission.

How come more intense (brighter) radiation doesn't cause emission?

More intense radiation simply means that more packets of energy (photons) are
delivered each second.
• But the energy of each packet is unchanged.
• So if there wasn't enough energy to cause photoelectric emission, making it
brighter won't change anything.
 It actually takes
energy for an
electron to leave
the surface of the
metal

This energy is the Einstein

work function,
Φ.

…Conservation of Energy Principle

Compare energy received and used by the electron at the surface:

Energy supplied to the electron = hf (energy from the photon)

Energy used by the electron:

used as work function (Φ) to escape from the surface
or
is left with the electron after it has escaped, in which case it is in the form of
Ek.

Energy Supplied = Energy Consumed

hf = Φ + Ekmax
 hf = Φ + Ekmax
Ekmax : only electrons on the surface (Φ= 0) will have the maximum
kinetic energy on leaving.

Electrons from deep inside which make it to the surface and still
have enough energy to escape will have used some energy getting
to the surface. e e

These electrons will have less energy left once they are free of the
metal and so they will have E < Ekmax
e
If Ephoton = hfo (i.e. the energy of the threshold frequency photons),
only the electrons on the surface will only have enough energy to
overcome the work function and no more.
So once they have escaped they will have no energy left (Ek = zero)

 The photoelectric equation becomes:

hf0 = Φ
hf = hf0 + Φ
hf = hf0 + ½ mv2
 Metal Plate (Emitter)

0V

e
The emitter gives out A
electrons: cathode.

Metal Plate (Collector)

By increasing the EMF of the supply you can find the potential difference at which no
If EMF
electrons of power
are able supply
to cross = 0: Flow of electrons across the gap sets up an
the gap.
electromotive force (EMF) between the plates that causes a current to
At thatflow around
point, the rest
the energy of the to
needed circuit.
cross the gap = maximum E of the electrons.
k

If the EMF is > 0: the emitter becomes more positive  Electrons leaving
Work done
it are moving a charge
attracted throughit.a potential difference is W = QV, Q=e
back towards
Only really energetic electrons can make it across- if they don't have
eVstop
enough energy, they can't cross the = ½ m v2
gap.
 Stopping Potential

VS eVstop = ½ mv2

e
h/
eVstop = h(f-f0)

t is
i en
ad
Vstop = (h/e)(f-f0)
Gr

After that, increasing the frequency of

the photons increases the maximum
kinetic energy of the photoelectrons,
f0 Frequency so stopping them takes a larger value
of stopping potential.

Nothing happens until you get photons with energy > hf 0

What happens when we change the light intensity?

Current-voltage for high intensity and low intensity light

 I

VS EMF

Voltage to turn around

most energetic electron
(stopping potential)
 I
High

Low

VS EMF

• Voltage
Same KEtoelectrons
turn around
most energetic
popping electron
off metal.
• (stopping potential)
So same “stopping • Fewer electrons pop off metal
potential”. • Current decreases.
• Current proportional to light intensity.
What happens to the initial KE of the electrons as the frequency of light changes?
(Light intensity is constant)

Initial KE
0 Frequency of light
 Initial KE
A B

Initial KE
0 Frequency 0 Frequency

C
D
Initial KE

Initial KE
0 Frequency
0 Frequency

E. something different
There is a minimum frequency
below which the light cannot kick
out electrons…
Even if wait a long time

As the frequency of light increases (shorter λ) 

Initial KE

KE of electrons being popped off increases.

(it is a linear relationship)

0 Frequency of light