Photoelectric Effect:

 Photoelectric effect is the process

of emitting the electrons from the
metal surface when the metal
surface is exposed to an
electromagnetic radiation of
sufficiently high frequency. For
example, ultraviolet light is
required in the case of ejection of
electrons from an alkali metal.
Schematic Diagram of Photoelectric
Effect Set Up:
Apparatus Description:
• An evacuated tube has two electrodes
connected to an external circuit.
• The metal plate whose surface is to be
irradiated acts as the anode.
• Some of the photoelectrons that
emerge from the radiated surface have
sufficient energy to reach the cathode
despite its negative polarity and they
constitute the current.
• As the retarding potential is increased
fewer and fewer electrons are able to
reach the cathode and the current
drops. When V exceeds a certain
value V0 no further electrons are able
to strike the cathode and the current
drops to zero.

Laws of Photoelectric Emission:

• There is no time lag between the
irradiation of the surface and the
ejection of the electrons.
• At a particular fixed frequency of
incident radiation the rate of the
emission of photo electrons i.e. the
photocurrent increases with
increase in the intensity of the
incident light.
• Photo electric effect does not occur
at frequency less than threshold
frequency.
• At the frequency above the
threshold frequency, the kinetic
energy of the ejected electrons
depends only on the frequency of
the exposed radiation and not on its
intensity.
Explanation of Photoelectric Effect:
i. The photoelectric effect cannot be
explained on the basis of electromagnetic
theory.
ii. In 1905 Einstein proposed that the
photoelectric effect could be understood
through the idea proposed by the German
theoretical physicist Max Planck in 2000.
iii. Planck was seeking to explain the
characteristics of the radiation emitted by
hot bodies.
iv. Plank assumed that while the radiation is
emitted continuously as little bursts of
energy called quanta but propagated
continuously in space as electromagnetic
waves.
v. Einstein proposed that light not only was
emitted as quanta at a time but also
propagated as individual quanta,
sufficiently small to be absorbed by the
electron.
 vi. Planck found that the quantity
associated with a particular
frequency ν of light all had the
same energy and that this
energy was proportional to ν that is
E=hν
vii. Photoelectric effect can be
explained by the following equation
E(=hν) = hν0 + Tmax
Here E is the total energy of the photon
incident on the metallic surface, ν is the
frequency of the incident radiation, ν 0 is
the
threshold frequency of the metal and Tmax is
the maximum kinetic energy with which the
electron moves after ejection from the surface.
Photon:
In wave mechanics the intensity of radiation is
defined as the total continuous energy falling normal
to a surface per second per unit area. In quantum
mechanics intensity should be considered to be
related to the number of photons falling per second
per unit area. In this way, increase in intensity
implies increasing the number of photons leading to
increase in number of collisions with the electrons
and their subsequent ejection from the surface. This
then should increase the photocurrent. Thus increase
in intensity should increase the photocurrent.

When frequency is increased the energy of

individual photons increases. The work function
is fixed. Hence, the any increase in the energy
of individual photons results in increase in
maximum kinetic energy of the ejected
electrons.
Even when V is zero there is some current. This is due to
some of the electrons coming out have
sufficient energy to reach the cathode all
by themselves.
When V is increased the electrons not having
sufficient KE are also pulled by the cathode
and hence current increases.
For a given intensity when all the ejected
electrons are pulled by the cathode there are no
more electrons left to reach the cathode. After
this even if V is increased the current does not
increase. This is the saturation current.
When V is made negative and increased the electrons
are repelled. However, some electrons having
sufficient energy are still able to reach the cathode
and constitute the current. The value of V when even
the most energetic electron is not allowed to reach the
cathode is known as stopping potential and the
current now becomes zero.
 If the frequency of the
incident radiation is
fixed Tmax will not
change. Hence, the
stopping potential will
remain the same even if
the intensity is
increased or decreased.

If the intensity of radiation is increased,

keeping the frequency fixed, the number of
photons per second will increase leading to
more collisions per second and transfer of
photon energy to more electrons. Thus the
number of electrons coming out per second
will increase leading to increase in
photocurrent.
 The Linear Equation:

The photoelectric
equation may be
written as follows:
hν = hν0 + Tmax hν =
hν0 + eV
V= (h/e) ν – (h/e)ν0

Compare this to the standard

linear:
Equation y= m x + c

The intercept on the X-axis will give the

threshold frequency. The slope of the curve
will give h/e.
Application of Photoelectric
Effect:
1. Automatic fire alarm
2. Automatic burglar alarm
3. Scanners in Television transmission
4. Reproduction of sound in cinema film
5. In paper industry to measure the
thickness of paper
6. To locate flaws or holes in the finished
goods
7. In astronomy
8. To determine opacity of solids and
liquids
9. Automatic switching of street lights
10.To control the temperature of furnace
11.Photometry
12.Beauty meter – To measure the fair
complexion of skin
verification of Laws of Photoelectric
Emission based on Einstein’s Photoelectric
Equation:

½ mv2max = h ( ν - ν0 )

i) If ν < ν0, then ½ mv2max is negative, which is not possible.

Therefore, for photoelectric emission to take place ν > ν0.

ii) Since one photon emits one electron, so the number

photoelectrons emitted per second is directly
proportional to the intensity of incident light.

iii) It is clear that ½ mv2max αν as h and ν0 are constant. This

shows that K.E.
of the photoelectrons is directly proportional to the
frequency of the incident light.
Photoelectric emission is due to collision between a photon
and an electron. As such there can not be any significant
time lag between the incidence of photon and emission of
photoelectron. i.e. the process is instantaneous. It is found
that delay is only 10-8 seconds

Index:
 PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECT

 SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM OF P.E.P

 APPARATUS DESCRIPTION

 LAWS OF PHOTOELECTRIC
EMISSION

 EXPLANATION OF
PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECT

 VERIFICATION OF LAWS OF P.E.P

 LINEAR EQUATION

 APPLICATION OF
PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECT