PHOTOELECTRIC Chapter 3

EFFECT
FIRST UP 1
CONSULTANTS
SUBCHAPTERS
3.1 Effect of intensity and frequency of a light wave on the
photoelectrons produced
3.2 Photoelectric current against potential graph
3.3 Quantitative study of the Einstein’s photoelectric equation
3.4 Photon theory of light
3.5 Failure of wave optics in explaining the photoelectric effect

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CONSULTANTS
PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECT

• The first to discover the effect of photoelectric was by Heinrich Hertz and Wilhelm
Hallwachs in 1887. Then, later in 1900 by Phillip Lenard.
• They discovered that metal under exposure of light can spark more easily
• Currently we understand the that:
The photoelectric effect is the emission of electrons when light fall on a materials.
• This effect give us an evidence of light’s particle nature.

Electrons emitted from

photoelectric effect is called
photoelectrons

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CONSULTANTS
3.1 EFFECT OF INTENSITY AND FREQUENCY OF A
LIGHT WAVE ON THE PHOTOELECTRON INDUCED
Photoelectric experiment setup
• Consider photoelectric experiment setup on the right.
• Inside an evacuated tube, there are target material
(emitter) and cathode (collector).
• In the dark, the ammeter reads zero, indicating no current
in the circuit, 𝐼 = 0.
• However, when light with frequency above a certain
threshold illuminates the emitter, a current is detected by
the ammeter.
• Lowest light frequency to induce emission of
photoelectron is called threshold frequency, 𝜈0 .

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CONSULTANTS
Confirmation of quantized energy in photoelectric effect
• When a monochromatic light of frequency higher that threshold frequency 𝜈0 shines on
the target, photoelectrons are emitted.
• Light at any frequency above 𝜈0 , number of electrons emitted increase with the intensity.
• When the frequency of incident radiation is smaller than the metal threshold frequency, no
electron is emitted regardless of the intensity.
• Electrons is emitted instantly when incident radiation frequency is above the threshold
frequency 𝜈0 , even at low intensity.
• The kinetic energy of emitted electrons depend on the frequency.

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CONSULTANTS
3.2 PHOTOELECTRIC CURRENT AGAINST POTENTIAL GRAPH
Varying the potential in the tube
• When the potential difference across the target and collector is positively raised, more
photoelectron will reach collector, thus photoelectric current increases.
• As the potential is sufficiently large, the current reaches a maximum value, 𝐼𝑚 , called
saturation current.
• When the potential, is negatively increased, photoelectron with low kinetic energy is
repelled by negative electric potential. Decreasing the photoelectric current.
• When there no longer photoelectron reaches collector, the potential is called stopping
potential, 𝑉𝑆 .

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CONSULTANTS
Photoelectric effect-light intensity relationship
• When we consider an incident light with different intensity.
• In quantum theory, the intensity of light is proportional to the number of
the photon.
• Higher intensity will eject higher number photoelectron, thus increase
the photoelectric current.
• The intensity is proportional to photoelectric current.

Same frequency, different intensity

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CONSULTANTS
Photoelectric effect-incident light frequency relationship
• Then, consider an incident light with different frequency.
• In quantum theory, the frequency of light is proportional to the energy of
light.
• Light with higher frequency has higher energy.
• Light with higher energy will eject photoelectrons at higher kinetic
energy, thus higher stopping potential is needed to stop the
photoelectrons.

Same intensity, different frequency

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CONSULTANTS
3.3 QUANTITATIVE STUDY OF THE EINSTEIN’S
PHOTOELECTRIC EQUATION
Kinetic energy of photoelectron
• Einstein assumed that light is made of packet of energy ℎ𝜈, photon.
• When a photon hit an electron, it transfer all its energy to electron.
• If ℎ𝜈 is larger than work function, 𝑊 = ℎ𝜈0 (the minimum energy
required to free the electron), the electron is emitted. Therefore, for
photoelectric effect must be ℎ𝜈 > 𝑊.
• The electron emitted will contain kinetic energy, 𝐾.
• Total process when photon hit a target is
ℎ𝜈 = 𝑊 + 𝐾
𝐾 = ℎ𝜈 − 𝑊 = ℎ 𝜈 − 𝜈0
• 𝜈0 : threshold frequency of material

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CONSULTANTS
Relation of Stopping potential to Kinetic energy
• Kinetic energy from photoelectric effect is detected through a
photoelectric current.
• To measure the kinetic energy of the emitted electrons, we assume the
stopping potential is equal to the kinetic energy of photoelectrons.
• Kinetic energy-stopping potential relation
1
𝑒𝑉𝑠 = 𝑚𝑒 𝑣 2 = 𝐾
2
• Stopping potential relationship
𝐾 = ℎ𝜈 − 𝑊 = ℎ 𝜈 − 𝜈0

ℎ 𝑊 ℎ𝑐 𝑊
𝑉𝑠 = 𝜈 − = −
𝑒 𝑒 𝑒𝜆 𝑒

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CONSULTANTS
Work function of certain elements
• Work function corresponds to the energy required to eject an
electron from the target surface.
• Since it ejects electrons from atom, the work function changes as
a function of element.
• The work function for several elements are listed below

Element Work function (eV)

Aluminum 4.3
Sodium 2.3
Copper 4.7
Gold 5.1
Silver 4.3

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CONSULTANTS
EXAMPLE
1. In a photoelectric effect experiment it is observed that no current flows
when the wavelength of EM radiation is greater than 570 nm. Calculate
a) The work function of this material in electron-volts.
b) The stopping voltage required if light of wavelength 400 nm is used.

1. Cadmium has a work function of 4.22 eV. Calculate

a) Its threshold frequency.
b) The maximum speed of photoelectrons when Cd is shined by UV radiation
of wavelength 275 nm
c) The stopping potential in (b).

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CONSULTANTS
3.4 PHOTON THEORY OF LIGHT
• Under the photon theory of light, a photon is a discrete bundle (or
quantum) of electromagnetic (or light) energy.
• Photons are always in motion and, in a vacuum, have a constant speed of
light to all observers, at the vacuum speed of light (more commonly just
called the speed of light) of 𝑐 = 2.998 × 108 m/s.
• Have zero mass and rest energy.
• Carry energy and momentum, which are also related to the frequency 𝜈
ℎ
and wavelength 𝜆 of the electromagnetic wave by 𝐸 = ℎ𝜈 and 𝑝 = .
𝜆
• Can be destroyed/created when radiation is absorbed/emitted.
• Can have particle-like interactions (i.e. collisions) with electrons and
other particles, such as in the photoelectric and Compton effect.

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CONSULTANTS
3.5 FAILURE OF WAVE OPTICS IN EXPLAINING
THE PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECT
• Experimental observations deviate from classical predictions based on
wave theory of light. Hence the classical physics cannot explain the
phenomenon of photoelectric effect.
• The modern theory based on Einstein’s photon theory of light can
explain the phenomenon of photoelectric effect.
• It is because Einstein postulated that light is quantized and light is
emitted, transmitted and reabsorbed as photons.

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CONSULTANTS
Arguments that defied the classical explanation

• Brighter light causes an increase in current (more electrons ejected) but

does not cause the individual electrons to gain higher energies.
• In other words, the maximum kinetic energy of the electrons is independent
on the intensity of the light.
• Classically, more intense light has larger amplitude EM field and thus
delivers more energy.
• That should not only enable a larger number of electrons to escape from the
metal; it should also enable the electrons emitted to have more kinetic
energy.

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CONSULTANTS
Arguments that defied the classical explanation

• The maximum kinetic energy of the emitted electrons does depend on

the frequency of the incident radiation.
• Thus, if the incident light is very dim (low intensity) but high in frequency,
electrons with large kinetic energies are released.
• Classically, there is no explanation for a frequency dependence

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CONSULTANTS
Arguments that defied the classical explanation
• For a given metal, there is a threshold frequency. If the frequency of the
incident light is below the threshold, no electrons are emitted – no matter
what the intensity of the incident light.
• Again, classical physics has no explanation for the frequency
dependence.
• When EM radiation falls on the metal, electrons are emitted virtually
instantaneously; the time delay observed experimentally is about 10-9 s,
regardless of the light intensity.
• If the EM radiation, behaves as a classical wave, its energy is evenly
distributed across the wavefronts.
• If the intensity of the light is low, it should take some time for enough energy
to accumulate on a particular spot to liberate an electron.
• Experiments have used intensities so low that, classically, there ought to be a
time delay of hours before the first electrons escape the metal. Instead,
electrons are detected almost immediately!.
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CONSULTANTS
EXAMPLE
In a photoelectric experiments, a graph of the light frequency f is plotted
against the maximum kinetic energy 𝐾𝑚𝑎𝑥 of the photoelectron as shown
in the figure below.

Based on the graph, for the light of frequency 7.14 × 1014 Hz, calculate
a) The threshold wavelength.
b) The maximum speed of the photoelectron.
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CONSULTANTS