Nature of Light

Imath A.Latheef
 Electromagnetic waves
Electromagnetic waves have two components
a) electric field
b ) magnetic field
Where both will oscillate perpendicular to each
other
 Electromagnetic spectrum
Spectrum
The ordered way a something arranged
(Ascending or descending)
The EM waves which are arranged according to
wavelength of frequency is called EM
Spectrum
EM Spectrum
 Wave properties
Reflection
Refraction
Diffraction
Interference
Polarization
 Planks Law
Max Plank Stated that Electromagnetic waves
can be represented as the Energy Packets
.Each energy Packet is called Photon

Photon
Photon
 Plank stated that energy of a photon
Given by the Equation

E=hf where h-Planks Constant (6.626 10-34 Js)

F Frequency (S-1 or Hz)
Example :
Find the energy of a photon with a frequency of
2.5x1015 Hz
Solution
E= hf
E= 6.63x 10-34Jsx 2.5 x1015S-1
 Example 2:
The energy of a wave is 20 J. if the frequency of the
wave is 3.0 x 1014 S-1 ,find the total number of
Photons present in the wave?
Solution:-
Energy of one Photon
E=hf
E= 6.63x 10-34Jsx 3.0x1014S-1
E= (.)
Total Energy = N x Energy of a photon (N- Number
of photons)
20= N x 6.63 x10-34Jsx3.0x1014S-1
N= 20/(6.63 x 10-34Js x 3.0 x 1014S-1)
 Speed of EM In free Space
Speed of EM = 3.0 x 10 8 ms-1
The speed of EM wave in Air also considered as same as
free space
Example 3
Find the energy of a photon with wave length of 400nm.
Solution:-
E=hf but C =f
E= h x c/
E=6.63 x 10-34 Js x 3.0 x108/(400 x 10-9) s-1
E= (..)
 Electron Volts
The electron volts (eV) is the equal to
1.6 x10-19J
2.3 ev = 2.3 x 1.6 x10-19J
6.7 J = 6.7J/1.6 x10-19 eV
Note Quantum physics calculation will be
deal with eV.
 Photo Electric effect (PEE)
When a EM radiation introduced in to a metal
surface it was found the electrons are emitted
from the metal surface this effect is called
PEE.(the emitted electron called photo
electrons )
Photo Electrons
EM radiation
 Observations on PEE
When the frequency of the incident radian increased
the speeds of the photo electrons were high high
energy photons
When the intensity of the radiation increased the
number of ejected electrons increased more
photons more electrons
It was found that the one photon is responsible for
one electron ejection
 Definitions :-Work function
The energy required to overcome the
attraction between an electron and a metal is
called the work function of a metal .
(measured in eV)
Example work function of iron is 2.3eV
Work function of Sodium 1.3 eV
 Photo Electric Equation
Albert Einstein showed that the ejected
electron and the photon related with the
equation
hf = + MeV2
Where h-Planks constant
F frequency, The photo electric equation is a
form of conservation of energy
-work function that is energy of a photon equals
Me Mass of electron to work function and the kinetic
energy of a electron
V-Speed of electron
 Example ,
A metal with work function 2.3 eV introduced
with a radiation with wavelength 200nm . Find
the K.E. of an electron and the speed of the
electron (Mass of electron 9.31 x10-31 Kg)
hf = + K.E
6.63 x 10-34 x 3.0 x108 J = 2.3 x1.6 x10-19 +KE
200 x 10-9
KE= MeV2 can fine the speed of electron
 Stopping potential

the potential must be applied between a anode and the cathode to stop electron emission
Due to photo electric effect

The metal plate applied (+) potential to stop the photo electrons
 Threshold Frequency
The energy of a photon required just to
overcome the attraction between the metal and
the electron called threshold Frequency
Therefore energy required is equal to work
function
hfo =
fo = /h
Example : find the threshold frequency of a metal
with work function 1.9eV
fo = 1.9 x 1.6 x 10 -19/(6.63 x10-34) S-1 0r Hz
 Therefore the photo electric equation can be
denoted as
h f = hf0 + me V2
When the frequency increased the kinetic
Energy of the electron will be increased therefore the
Work function stopping potential should be increased to stop the electro

h f = hf0 + me V2 The stopping potential is equal to KE

Of the electron ( stopping potential
Represented by eVs)
Rearranging equation

1/2 me v2 = hf - hf0
The gradient is equal to planks constant

eVs = hf - hf0
y = mx + c
The line for frequency Vs stopping potential If we do for the two types of metals
(the gradient is constant so parallel lines )
Example Jan 2010
 Energy levels of an Atom

The cells of electrons levels is called as energy levels an atom,,

 Excitation of electrons

When the electrons from normal energy state jumps for higher energy state
Is called excitation of electrons . En external energy should be absorbed by the
electrons to excite from lower to higher energy level
de excitation of electrons

The electrons from higher energy levels ( which excited ) coming to

lower energy state ( emits radiation ) is called de excitation
 Atomic Spectra
Continuous spectrum:- if the spectrum with
all frequencies or wavelength with no gaps,
then it is a continuous spectrum

400nm 700nm
The continuous spectrum of white light

An complete black body (fully black ) in higher temperature will emit

continuous spectrum
 Black body radiation

Black body

Continuous spectrum
which has all wave length
emission by black body
 Absorption spectrum
When the continuous spectrum passed
through a gas it was found that the emerging
radiation with missing frequencies or
wavelength .the spectrum obtained is called
absorption spectrum
In abortion spectrum
black lines in colored
Background

Missing frequencies /wave length

What happened to formation of absorption spectrum : the missing

wavelength energy photons are absorbed by the electron to make excitations
Therefore wavelength missing in the spectrum
Different excitation will make different frequencies disappear from
Continuous spectrum
 The excitation occurs if the energy of a photon
is equal to the difference in energy levels an
atom

If the excitation from n=1 to n=2 the energy of the photon

E2- E1 =hf
-3.39-(-13.6) eV = 6.63 x 10-34 x f
(-3.39+ 13.6) x1.6 x 10-19 / 6.63 x 10-34 =f
So frequency of the missing wave can be found if know the excitation stage
The excitation occurs only if difference equal to energy of the photon . Other photons
energies will not give a rise to excitation . This shows the energy levels of
electrons are quantized
 Absorption spectrum is a observation
to prove that the energy levels of an atom is
quantized
 Emission spectrum
The excited atom must come back normal
state when the electron de excited from
higher to lower energy and spectrum is
obtained this spectrum is called emission
spectrum

Colored lines in dark background is due to emission spectrum .

Not all the wavelength observed in an emission spectrum this also indicate
that atoms Energy levels are Quantized
 The frequency of the emitted
radiation

E2- E1 = h x f
(E2-E1)/h = f

Line spectrum : both abortion and emission Spectrums called Line Spectra

Applications of photo electric effect :

Solar cells , Photo sensors ,radiation detectors ect

Applications of Line spectrum : CFL bulbs ,Laser lights production ,chemistry applications
Such as NMR,IR ,UV, Visible spectrometers
Summary
Particle nature of EM waves
Photo electric effect Threshold frequency,KE
of electrons ,Ect
Line spectrums (emission, absorption )
 Wave particle Duality
Louis de Broglie originated the idea that moving electrons may exhibit
both particle and wave nature. He proposed that, analogous to photons,
the wavelength of the electron is given by:

= h p = h/ m v
where h is Planck's constant
p = mv electron momentum.

This concluded that the particles has a wavelenght which is given

as De Broglie Wave length