chemistry project

CONTENTS
Contents Page numbers

INTRODUCTION
Photoelectric effect:
The photoelectric effect is the emission of electrons from a material caused by electromagnetic
radiation such as ultraviolet light. Electrons emitted in this manner are called photoelectrons. The
phenomenon is studied in condensed matter physics, solid state, and quantum chemistry to draw
inferences about the properties of atoms, molecules and solids. The effect has found use in electronic
devices specialized for light detection and precisely timed electron emission. The experimental results
disagree with classical electromagnetism, which predicts that continuous light waves transfer energy
to electrons, which would then be emitted when they accumulate enough energy. An alteration in the
intensity of light would theoretically change the kinetic energy of the emitted electrons, with
sufficiently dim light resulting in a delayed emission. The experimental results instead show that
electrons are dislodged only when the light exceeds a certain frequency regardless of the light's
intensity or duration of exposure. Because a low-frequency beam at a high intensity does not build up
the energy required to produce photoelectrons, as would be the case if light's energy accumulated over
time from a continuous wave, Albert Einstein proposed that a beam of light is not a wave propagating
through space, but a swarm of discrete energy packets, known as photons—term coined by Gilbert N.
Lewis in 1926.
Emission of conduction electrons from typical metals requires a few electron-volt (eV) light
quanta,corresponding to short-wavelength visible or ultraviolet light. In extreme cases, emissions are
induced with photons approaching zero energy, like in systems with negative electron affinity and the
emission from excited states, or a few hundred keV photons for core electrons in elements with a high
atomic number.Study of the photoelectric effect led to important steps in understanding the quantum
nature of light and electrons and influenced the formation of the concept of wave–particle
duality.Other phenomena where light affects the movement of electric charges include the
photoconductive effect, the photovoltaic effect, and the photoelectrochemical effect.
2
Emission Mechanism:
The photons of a light beam have a characteristic energy, called photon energy, which is proportional
to the frequency of the light. In the photoemission process, when an electron within some material
absorbs the energy of a photon and acquires more energy than its binding energy, it is likely to be
ejected. If the photon energy is too low, the electron is unable to escape the material. Since an increase
in the intensity of low-frequency light will only increase the number of low-energy photons, this
change in intensity will not create any single photon with enough energy to dislodge an electron.
Moreover, the energy of the emitted electrons will not depend on the intensity of the incoming light of
a given frequency, but only on the energy of the individual photons. While free electrons can absorb
any energy when irradiated as long as this is followed by an immediate re-emission, like in the
Compton effect, in quantum systems all of the energy from one photon is absorbed—if the process is
allowed by quantum mechanics—or none at all. Part of the acquired energy is used to liberate the
electron from its atomic binding, and the rest contributes to the electron's kinetic energy as a free
particle.
Because electrons in a material occupy many different quantum states with different binding energies,
and because they can sustain energy losses on their way out of the material, the emitted electrons will
have a range of kinetic energies. The electrons from the highest occupied states will have the highest
kinetic energy. In metals, those electrons will be emitted from the Fermi level. When the
photoelectron is emitted into a solid rather than into a vacuum, the term internal photoemission is
often used, and emission into a vacuum is distinguished as external photoemission.
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

chemistry project

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

chemistry project

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

chemistry project

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

CONTENTS

Contents Page numbers

You might also like