Exam 1 with Answers

1. For each part below write one or two sentences IN YOUR OWN WORDS. (i) Briey discuss an experiment which implies that light behaves as a wave phenomenon. (ii) Briey discuss an experiment which implies that light is made of particles. (iii), (iv) Repeat (i) and (ii) for electrons. (i) Youngs double slit diraction experiment. (ii) Photoelectric eect, blackbody radiation, Compton eect, Young experiment with lters. (iii) Electron diraction, quantum mechanics! (iv) television 2. A free-electron model for cyclic conjugated molecules can be based on solutions of the particle in a ring problem. Apply this model to benzene, assuming 6 mobile electrons moving on a ring of radius of 1.39 . Calculate the wavelength (in nm) A of the lowest-energy electronic transition in benzene. In what region of the electromagnetic spectrum is this transition? Recall the energy level diagram for ring:
m=2

m=1 m=0

The longest wavelength absorption in the benzene spectrum can be estimated according to this model as
2 hc = E2 E1 = (22 12 ) 2mR2

The ring radius R can be approximated by the CC distance in benzene, 1.39 . We predict 210 nm, whereas the exA perimental absorption has max 268 nm. These are in the ultraviolet. 3. A particle of mass m moves in three dimensions with the potential energy V (x, y, z) = k 2 (x + y 2 + z 2 ) 2

Write down the Schrdinger equation and solve it for the ground o state. Determine the energy eigenvalue and normalized eigenfunction for the ground state. Schrdinger equation in cartesian coordinates, = (x, y, z) o h 2 2 2 2 + + 2m x2 y 2 z 2 + k 2 (x + y 2 + z 2 ) = E 2

Separate variables in cartesian coordinates (x, y, z) = X(x)Y (y)Z(z) Equation for X(x): h 2 k X (x) + x2 X(x) = EX X(x) 2m 2

and analogously for Y and Z, so that EX + EY + EZ = E But above dierential equation already solved for harmonic oscillator! Normalized ground state solution is X0 (x) =
1/4

ex

/2

with the corresponding eigenvalue EX = 1 . Therefore 2h (x, y, z) = with ground state energy E0 = EX + EY + EZ = 3 2h 4. The following reaction might occur in the interior of a star: He++ + H He+ + H+ Calculate the electronic energy change in eV assuming all species in their ground states. He++ and H+ are bare nuclei so their electronic energies equal zero. He+ and H are hydrogenlike with Z = 2 and Z = 1, respectively. Their 1s energies equal Z 2 /2. Thus E = 4/2 + 1/2 = 3/2 hartrees = 40.8 eV.
3/4

e(x

+y2 +z 2 )/2

5. Determine whether the function (r, , ) = const 1 r sin2 (/2) er/2 is a solution of the Schrdinger equation for the hydrogen atom. o If it is, nd the corresponding eigenvalue (in atomic units). You might need the trigonometric identity sin(/2) = Lengthy computation gives 1 2 1 1 r 2 sin (r, ) = E (r, ) 2r2 r r 2r sin r 1 8 1 cos 2

with E=

Easier solution. After putting in formula for sin(/2), note that (r, ) = const 1 r 2 + 1 r cos er/2 2 = const (

2s

2pz )