Blackbody

radia-on
Blackbody deni-on
Op-cal cavity as a blackbody
Rayleigh-Jeans descrip-on
Plancks Descrip-on

Blackbody spectrum
Spectrum implies spectral energy density
energy per unit volume per unit frequency

()d
Observa-ons:

Blackbody deni-on
Hot objects glow
Spectral distribu-on of emiHed energy
depends not only on temperature, but other
proper-es (e.g. reec-vity of surface, )
Simplify calcula-on: BLACKBODY = complete
absorp-on of incident radia-on (hence black)

Op-cal cavity as a blackbody

Hole in a perfect cavity acts eec-vely as a
perfect blackbody
Light entering the hole has essen-ally zero
chance to escape

Photons in a box

Standing wave in 1D cavity

Nodes at ends
same as guitar strings!

Photons in a box

Spectral energy density

()d = g()d E()

Mode density -mes average energy of mode

Photons in a box (1D)

Mode density of a 1D cavity g()d
Number of modes (per unit volume) with
frequency between and + d
Resonance condi-on

n = 2L
c
n =
n
2L
Mode density

1 + d
1 d
4d
g()d = 2
=2
=
L

L c/(2L)
c
2 polariza-ons

Photons in a box (2 and 3D)

Resonance condi-ons imply only discrete
wave vectors allowed
Number of allowed
states with frequency
between and + d
is given by
Volume of shell
volume per point
shell radius constrained
between k and k+dk

Photons in a box (3D)

Mode density of a 3D cavity

Allowed k on a cubic la_ce with spacing

L
Shell volume:

Vshell = Vsphere (k + dk) Vsphere (k)

4
3
3
2
Vshell = (k + dk) (k) 4k dk
3
3
Volume per mode:
Vmode =
L

Photons in a box (3D)

Number of modes with wave vector between
k and k + dk
2
3 2

1 4k dk
L k dk
N (k, k + d) = 2
=
3
2
8
(/L)

2 polariza-ons
Posi-ve octant

Change to frequency using

k=

2d
2
dk =
c
c

8L3 2 d
N (, + d) =
c3
8 2
Resul-ng density of states g()d =
d
c3

Blackbody radia-on spectrum

Spectral energy density

()d = g()d E()

Mode density -mes average energy of mode

Number of resonant modes per unit volume in
cavity

Need to calculate average energy per cavity

mode

E()

Blackbody radia-on spectrum

Average energy per mode (classically)
Boltzmann distribu-on

1
E
P (E) =
exp
kB T
kB T

Average Energy
E =

EP (E)dE = kB T

Blackbody radia-on spectrum

Spectral energy density

()d = g()d E()

Density of states

8 2
g()d = 3 d
c

Average energy from Boltzmann distribu-on

E() = kB T

Rayleigh-Jeans formula for BBS

8 2
()d = 3 kB T d
c

Ultraviolet catastrophe!

Blackbody radia-on spectrum

Rayleigh-Jeans UV catastrophe
2

8
()d = 3 kB T d
c

Blackbody radia-on spectrum

Average energy per mode (QM)
Energy for each mode is now
Mode frequency
quan-zed

En = nh

Non-nega-ve integer

Planck constant

Apply the Boltzmann distribu-on

En
P (En ) exp
kB T

Blackbody radia-on spectrum

Average energy per mode

En P (En )
h

E() =
= h/k T
B
P (En )
e
1

Spectral energy density

8 2
h
d
()d = 3 h/k T
B
c e
1

Blackbody radia-on

8
Rayleigh-Jeans law ()d =
k
T
d
B
c3

h
Planck law ()d = 8
d
c3 eh/kB T 1

Blackbody radia-on

Total energy density (Stefans law)

(T ) =

4
8 5 kB
4 4
4
P (, T )d =
T = T
3
15(hc)
c

Most probable wavelength shid with T (Weins

Law)
hc
max T = constant = 0.2014
kB

Planck postulate
Any physical quan-ty that oscillates in -me
has total energy

En = nh

n = 0, 1, 2, ...

with
the frequency of the oscillator, and h
Plancks constant
34

h = 6.626 10

Js

Blackbody radia-on summary

Blackbody = cavity with hole

Rayleigh-Jeans law
Ultraviolet catastrophe
Plancks law and postulate

En = nh
8 2
h
d
()d = 3 h/k T
B
c e
1

Compton ScaHering (1923)

hc
Photon momentum
E = h =

Einstein energy-momentum-mass rela-on from SR

E 2 = p2 c2 + (mc2 )2 = E = pc
h p = k
= p =

Compton ScaHering (1923)

Photon scaHers like a billiard ball

h
=
(1 cos())
mc

Summary of week 1
Photon scaHers like a billiard ball

Quan-za-on of radia-on Single photon energy

Photoelectric eect
Blackbody radia-on

hc
E = h =

Allowed energies of a frequency mode

En = nh

Photon momentum and momentum transfer

Compton scaHering

h
p=

p = k