2024 – 25

Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter

Recall what did you study in previous class

Planck’s Quantum Theory

• According to Planck’s quantum theory, light is considered to be made up of small packets (or
particles) of energy known as quanta of energy or radiation.
hc 12400
Energy, E = hv = = eV
 (Å)

Photons
h
• Momentum of one photon is

• When radiation interacts with matter, the radiation behaves as if it is made of particles like photons
• Einstein proposed that electromagnetic radiation (or simply light) is quantized and exists in
elementary amounts (quanta) that we now call photons.
• Photons are not deflected by electric and magnetic fields which shows that they are neutral and do
not carry any charge.
• The energy of photon depends upon the frequency of radiation but is independent of the intensity of
radiation.

Photoelectric Effect
• When light of suitable frequency illuminates a metal surface, electrons are emitted. This process of
ejection of electrons using light is known as photoelectric emission. Photoelectrons ejected from
metal have kinetic energies ranging from 0 to Kmax.
• A certain minimum amount of energy is required for an electron to be pulled out from the surface of
a metal. This minimum energy is called the work function () of that metal. Work function is
minimum for cesium (1.9 eV).
hc hc
• Einstein equation for photoelectric effect is, hv =  + KE max  = + eVs
 0
• The minimum frequency of the incident light below which photoelectrons are not ejected from the
metal surface is known as threshold frequency (ν0).
hc
• Work function,  = hv0 =
0
0 = Threshold wavelength
• The minimum negative potential given to the metal plate with respect to the collector at which the
photoelectric current becomes zero is known as stopping potential or cut-off potential. Here max ,
KEmax = eVs, Vs stopping potential
• The number of photoelectrons emitted per second is directly proportional to the intensity of the
incident radiation
 • The maximum kinetic energy of the ejected electrons is independent of the intensity of incident
radiation but depends upon the frequency of the incident radiation.

De-Broglie Hypothesis
• It says that a wave is associated with a moving material particle. The wavelength associated with a
h
moving particle is given by h mv λ = , where m is the mass of the particle moving with v
mv
velocity and h is Planck’s constant. This wave is called de-Broglie wave.
• Matter waves cannot be electromagnetic in nature because electromagnetic waves are produced by
motion of charged particles.

Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle

• According to Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, it is not possible to measure exactly both the
position and momentum of a microscopic particle (say electron) at the same time. That is,
h
xp  , where =
2 2

Kep Tips
1
• Einstein’s photoelectric equation, mv 2 = hv − hv 0
2 max
hc
• Work function and threshold frequency or threshold wavelength related as, 0 = hv0 =
0
hc
• Energy of photon, E = hv =

E h
• Momentum of photon, p = =
c 
h
• de-Broglie wavelength of a material particle,  =
mv
h
• de-Broglie wavelength in terms of energy of a particle (E),  =
2mE
150 12.27
• de-Broglie wavelength of an electron accelerated through a potential V volt,  = Å= Å
V V
h
• de-Broglie wavelength of a particle in terms of temperature (T),  =
3mkT

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