Photons

6.1 Quantum Physics.

When light exchanges energy with atoms it behaves as a
Particle Nature of Light particle - called the photon
•Particle nature of Light The energy of a photon is proportional to the frequency f of
Blackbody Radiation light
Photoelectric Effect Ephoton = hf
• Properties of photons
Ionizing radiation
Radiation damage
• x-rays
Compton effect Planck’s Constant h=6.626x10-34 J• s
X-ray diffraction

Thermal Radiation Spectrum of Blackbody radiation

visible infrared
Blackbody radiation A wide spectrum of wavelengths
is produced.

The total intensity increases

with temperature

The peak wavelength

decreases with temperature
A container at temperature T in equilibrium Wien’s displacement law
with electromagnetic radiation.
Light is absorbed and emitted by the walls. λmaxT= 0.2898x10-2mK
At equilibrium the spectrum of the light only
depends on the temperature. The intensity goes down at
low wavelengths (I->0, as λ-> 0)

Demonstration of blackbody Disagreement with classical theory

radiation of light
A tungsten filament light bulb is The classical theory
approximately a black body radiator. predicts that intensity
continues to increase with
decreasing wavelength.
http://www.physics.ucla.edu/demoweb/demomanual/astronom
y/quantum_mechanics/blackbody_radiation.html
“Ultraviolet Catastrophe”

To explain the experimental

data Planck proposed the
quantum hypothesis.

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 Planck’s constant
Planck proposed that light
could only have certain energies
E=hf
Then the energy of oscillators
in the black body could only have
certain fixed values
Max Planck
Classical and Planck picture
Suppose we have a box
that contains light waves
with different wavelengths.
The energy is contained in
energy states containing
particles with different energies
Classical theory predicts that the number of energy states
increased with decreasing wavelength. “smaller particles
are more numerous”
Planck proposed that in addition the short wavelength
particles are more “energetically expensive”

So at short wavelength, they would be hard to produce.

This explains the peak in the black body spectrum

Quantum explanation for the Wein sun

Question
Effect. earth

•The blackbody spectrum reflects the The sun has a surface temperature of 5,800 K.
distribution of photon energies. The solar radiation has a peak wavelength of
•The peak wavelength reflects the 500 nm. The earth has temperature of about 300
average energy.
K. What is the maximum wavelength of the
•The average photon energy increases
linearly with temperature blackbody spectrum of the earth?
from λ T = cons tan t Wein Law λmax T = cons tan t
max

since c λmax
earth earth
T = λmax
sun sun
T
λ=
f
λ sun sun
T 500x10 −9 m(5800K)
1 hf λmax
earth
= max
= = 9.7x10 −6 m
∝ max ∝ Average
earth
T 300K
then T ∝ 10micrometers
λmax c photon energy infrared region

The “Greenhouse Effect” is based on CO2 and Global Warming

properties of blackbody radiation
sun
T~6000K
visible
Infrared

Atmosphere is
transparent to Atmosphere
light from sun earth absorbs infrared
radiation and serves Graph showing that the observed temperature rise can easily result from the
observed rise of CO2 , based on simple numerical experiment. (Smoothed
T~ 300 K as a “blanket”. temperature data in Jones et al., 1998; CO2 forcing data from CO2 history, and
calculated expected rise in temperature assuming 2 degree Celsius rise for CO2
doubling; sunspot abundance from J.Lean, NASA)

http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/globalchange/global_warming/03.html

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 Photoelectric effect. Photoelectric effect
Electrode
-

- e∆Vs = KEmax
λ

I
A current is observed
when light of certain
wavelengths hits the
electrode
- + The stopping voltage ∆Vs is a measure of the kinetic
energy of the photo electrons.
When the ∆Vs is high enough electrons don’t reach
the electrode C.

Photoelectric Effect Einstein’s explanation

photon
energy =hf

(e∆Vs)

Slope =h

0 0
“Energy loss” φ

Kinetic energy rises linearly with the frequency

of light. KEmax = Ephoton -φ = hf- φ
φ is the work function, the energy needed
to remove the electron from the electrode.

Photon concept
Properties of Photons
Ephoton =hf
Photon energies - Interactions of light
e- with matter.
Ionizing radiation
Radiation damage

metal electrode x-rays

KEmax = hf - φ Compton effect
X-ray diffraction
A photon interacts with the electron
The light energy can have only specific values.
Light energy is quantized

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 Photon Energies (eV)
Photon Energy
Find the energy of a photon with a wavelength of E=hf =hc/λ
500 nm. Use units of electron volts (1eV= 1.60x10-19 J)
10-9 10-6 10-3 1 103 106 eV
c ⎛ 3x108 m / s ⎞
E = hf = h = 6.63x10 −34 Js ⎜ −9
−19
⎟ = 4.0x10 J
λ ⎝ 500x10 m ⎠
4x10 −19 J
E= = 2.5eV
1.6x10 −19 J / eV

An electron volt is the energy change in moving

an electron across a potential of 1 volt.
A few electron volts is the energy of electrons in ir uv
molecules. This is why visible light is absorbed by
molecules (pigment molecules).

Photon Energies
Photon concept light Typical
Wavelength
Typical Molecular
Photon energy interactions
applications

(m) (eV)
source absorber radio 10 10-7 eV nuclear magnetic NMR imaging

Ephoton =hf microwaves 10-2 10-4 eV Molecular Microwave oven

rotations cell phone

Infrared 10-5 10-1 eV Molecular Heat lamp

∆E=hf ∆E=hf vibrations
Visible 400-700 nm 2-3 eV Low energy Vision
electrons Photosynthesis
(pigments) Photography
Light energy is has specific energies i.e. is quantized
in the interaction of light with matter. Ultraviolet 200-300 nm 4-5 eV bonding electrons Radiation
damage
Photons of different wavelengths, interact with
Skin cancer
different molecular properties- either in the generation
X-rays 1 nm 104 eV Electrons X-ray imaging
of the photon or the absorption of the photon. scattering, tightly X-ray diffraction
bound electrons

Microwave Oven

f =10GHz

hf =4x10-5 eV

• Infrared light absorbed by vibrations of gas molecules

Heats by exciting molecular rotations and
vibrations.
Cell phones use the same frequency range
but at much lower intensity.
• Visible light absorbed by electronic transitions in pigment
• UV radiation – 4-5 eV photons cause radiation damage by
altering DNA (UV-B radiation at 320-290 nm)
• Ozone in the atmosphere protects by absorbing UV
radiation.

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 UV light damage to inkjet prints Radiation damage to DNA

UV light

Altered DNA

UV light treated Uv protected

Sources of visible light

Biological effects of uv radiation
tungsten lamp
hf black body radiation of a
heated metal filament

hf
fluorescent bulb
e- emission of excited atoms
Hg

light emitting diode

hf emission by electron
across an energy gap
semiconductor in a semiconductor
Organisms living in shallow sea water are susceptible to
increased uv radiation. Fluorescent bulbs and LEDs are more efficient sources of light than
incandescent lamps.

Tungsten Lamp light source

blackbody spectrum Light emitting diode LED
Visible light

Light emitting diodes are more efficient as an illumination source

A tungsten lamp is inefficient as a light source because the because the spectrum is not based on blackbody radiation.
spectrum at temperatures lower than the melting point The light can be produced at specific wavelengths in the visible
includes a large amount of useless infrared radiation. region

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 X-rays Generation of x-rays by electrons

X-rays are produced by electrons accelerated through

high voltages V~ 104 V
Photon energies ~ 104 eV

X-rays

Rotating anode A Quantum Effect.

e- The maximum photon
X-rays
energy is ~ equal to the λmin
kinetic energy of the
electron.

hc
e∆V = hfmax =
λmin

X-ray source X-ray spectrum produced

by 35 keV electrons hitting a
molybdenum target.

x-ray imaging
Question
Find the minimum x-ray wavelength for a 35 x-ray photograph
kev electron. of Wolfgang Roentgen’s
wife’s hand.
e- KE hf=KE
(neglect work function-
x-rays penetrate soft
E=hf it is small compared to
tissue (light atoms) but
x-ray energies)
photon are absorbed by heavy
metal atoms. eg.Calcium,
KE= 35x103 eV x (1.6x10-19 J/eV) = 5.6x10-15J
Gold
hc
Emax = hfmax = = KE
λmin
hc 6.63x10−34 Js(3.0x108 m / s)
λmin = = = 3.6x10 −11m
KE 5.6x10−15 J
0.036 nm

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Compton scattering of x-rays.
High energy photons knock electrons out of atoms X-ray diffraction

The wavelength of a photon scattered from an electron • X-rays have wavelengths close to atomic dimensions
is increased due to loss of photon energy.
• Crystalline solids have an ordered array of atoms that
scatter x-rays much like a three-dimensional diffraction
Scattered electron
Incident photon grating

λo electron
ө • The x-ray diffraction pattern from crystals of molecules
h λ can be used to determine the density of scattering
∆λ = λ − λ o = (1 − cos θ) Scattered photon
me c electrons (i.e. the electron density) and thus the
molecular structure.

Lower energy –> Longer wavelength

Diffraction of x-rays from a crystal.

NaCl Crystal – an ordered array of atoms
Each atom acts as a wave source.
0.56 n

Fig. 27-11, p.883

X-ray diffraction pattern of NaCl

Condition for diffraction of x-rays from planes
of atoms in a crystal

Bragg’s Law
2dsinө = mλ m=1, 2, 3 ........

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 DNA structure
determined by
x-ray diffraction

X-ray diffraction pattern from a crystalline fiber of DNA. Watson

And Crick used this data to deduce the structure of the DNA molecule