Topic 7

Quantum physics I

1 Modelling with particles and waves

2 Particulate nature of light
3 The photoelectric effect

SR 1
DOES LIGHT BEHAVE
AS PARTICLES OR AS
WAVES?

As we shall see in this chapter, the answer is – a bit of both.

SR
"Quantum"
 From the Latin meaning "how much."

 discrete units of matter and energy that are

predicted by and observed in quantum physics.

SR
1 Modelling with particles and waves

Particle models
Area Model Macroscopic phenomena
electricity Flow of electrons current
gases Kinetic energy Change in P, T, V
solids Crystalline materials Mechanical properties
radioactivity Nuclear model of atom Decay, fusion, fission
chemistry Atomic structure Chemical reactions

Wave models

Phenomenon Varying quantity

Sound pressure
Light (EM) Electric & magnetic field strength
Wave on string displacement

SR
1 Modelling with particles and waves

Wave vs particle

• Wave theory of light explains most phenomena involving

light:
– propagation in straight line
– reflection
– refraction
– superposition, interference, diffraction
– polarization
– Doppler effect
• Wave theory does not explain:
– frequency dependence of thermal radiation
– photoelectric effect

SR 5
ORIGIN HISTORY OF LIGHT

ISAAC NEWTON

SR
1 Modelling with particles and waves

• Describe wave motion • Double-slit experiment

• Spread out from point source • Proved that light has wave
in all directions.
• Derived laws of reflection behaviour
and refraction.
Young
Huygens

Maxwell

• Principles of four Maxwell's

equations
• Predict the speed of electromagnetic
wave.
• Light is electromagnetic spectrum
of radiation. SR
1 Modelling with particles and waves

• Atoms emit light in discrete
energy (quantized)
• Birth of Quantum Mechanics.
• E = h or hf
• Photo-electric effect
• Emission of electrons from
metal surface when irradiated
with light

Planck Einstein
Wave-theory could not
explain interaction of light
with matter

de Broglie

• Wave-particle duality
• Particle with momentum
has association with
wavelength

SR
Does light travel as a wave or
particle?

WAVE?
PARTICLE ?

WAVICLE ??

SR
2 Particulate nature of light

1. Light could behave as a stream of particles (Einstein).

2. All electromagnetic radiation consists of photons.
3. A photon is a ‘packet of energy’ or a quantum of electromagnetic
energy.
4. The photon is massless, has no electric charge, and does not
decay in empty space.
5. In empty space, the photon moves at c (the speed of light).
6. Gamma-photons are the most energetic.
7. Energy of the photon:

E  hf
c  f
f  c/
E  hc / 
h is Planck’s constant = 6.63 × 10
SR
-34
Js
 E  hf
c  f Energy of a photon is related to the
f  c/ frequency of the EM radiation of
which it is part.
E  hc / 

The energy of the photon is inversely

proportional to the wavelength.
Hence the short-wavelength X-ray
photon is far more energetic than the
long-wavelength photon of light.

SR
2 Particulate nature of light

The electronvolt

• An electron, which has a charge of magnitude 1.6 ×10−19C, travels

through a potential difference of 1 V, its energy change W is
given by:
W = QV = 1.6 ×10−19×1 = 1.6 ×10−19 J

Therefore:
1 eV = 1.6 ×10−19 J

One electronvolt (1eV) is the energy transferred when

an electron travels through a potential difference of
one volt.
SR
2 Particulate nature of light

SR
3 The photoelectric effect

Photoelectric emission is the release of electrons from the surface

of a metal when electromagnetic radiation is incident on its
surface.

1. Metals can lose electrons if

they are given enough energy
to escape from the atom.
2. Photon absorption and
photoelectron emission can be
demonstrate using gold leaf
electroscope.

A Coulombmeter is a tool for measuring the

electrostatic charge of a material.

SR
3 The photoelectric effect

1. With no light falling on the

zinc plate, the leaf falls only
very slowly (due to charge
leaking away through the
air).
2. UV light shone onto the plate
causes the leaf to fall rapidly.
3. This fall stopped if a sheet of
glass is placed between zinc
plate & UV lamp (glass
strongly absorb UV light).
4. The rate of fall depends on
the distance of the lamp from
Electroscope
the plate.
5. Visible light has no effect on
the behaviour of the leaf.
SR
3 The photoelectric effect

Frequency

1. Emission electron → photoeletron.

2. UV light was capable of transferring
energy to electrons in metal – give
energy to escape from the metal surface
(absorption → emission)
3. The leaf does not fall if electroscope is
positively charge because UV only
transfer energy NOT electron.
4. Need minimum fo (threshold frequency)
to release electrons from metal.

The threshold frequency is the minimum

frequency required to release electrons from the
surface of a metal.

SR
SR
Key points about the photoelectric effect:

 Photoemission takes place only if the frequency of the incident

radiation is above a certain value called the threshold frequency f0

 Below the threshold frequency f0, no electrons are emitted

 Different metals need radiation of different threshold frequencies

 The emission takes place depends only on frequency of the

radiation used is above the threshold for that surface. It does not
depend on the intensity of the radiation

 Intense (brighter) source of radiation produces more

photoelectrons but does not change the maximum energy of
photoelectrons

 For a given frequency, the rate of emission of photoelectrons is

proportional to the intensity of the radiation.
SR
3 The photoelectric effect

Work function

1. A single photon interacts only with a single electron.

2. Threshold frequency f0 is the minimum frequency of

electromagnetic radiation that could emit photoelectrons from a
material when the material is being irradiated.

3. The existence of the threshold frequency suggests that electrons in

the emitter are held weakly by electric forces within the material.
In order to be ejected, the electron must absorb a certain amount
of energy .

4. This energy is the work function of the material and it can be

defined as the minimum energy necessary to remove an electron
from the surface of the emitter material.

SR
3 The photoelectric effect

5. A photon of visible light has energy less than , thus cannot release
electron from the surface of the metal.

6. With enough energy, electron gains all the photon’s energy

(photon no longer exist).

7. Some of the energy needed to escape from metal surface, the rest
will be kinetic energy to travel.

8. Einstein express the idea of photoelectric equation

mathematically.

1
E  hf   
2
mvmax
2

SR
SR
3 The photoelectric effect

What happen when the incident radiation has a frequency equal

to threshold frequency?

• Kinetic energy = o.
• Barely escape to the surface.

What happen when the incident radiation has a frequency less

than to threshold frequency?

• Electron cannot escape.

• Energy absorb from photon will be used as kinetic energy.
• Electron collide with metal ions.
• Warms the metal.
• This is why metal plate placed in the vicinity of table lamp gets hot.

SR
3 The photoelectric effect
Summary
Observation Wave model Photon model
Electron emit immediately Very intense light needed Single photon is enough to
for immediate effect release one electron
Weak (low intensity) of Weak light wave give no Low intensity (fewer
light is effective effect photons) NOT low energy
Increase intensity (gold High intensity means High intensity (more
leaves fall faster) more energy, so more photon, more photoelectron
electrons are released per second)
Increase intensity has no High intensity mean More photons
effect on energy of electron have more
electrons energy
Min threshold f is needed Low f of light wave should Below threshold, no
work; electrons would be photoelectron
release slowly
Increase f of light, will It should be increasing High f, more energetic
increase max kinetic intensity, not f, that photon, electron can move
energy of electrons increases energy of faster
electrons

SR
End of part 1

SR