Collège des Frère

Fundamentals of Quantum
Nature of Light

Prepared by
Mr. G. Shahin
22th of February, 2018
 Light as a Wave
Light (or electromagnetic radiation), can be thought of as either a
particle or a wave. Light has various properties:
• a wavelength,  (distance between waves)
• a frequency, f (number of waves passing you each second)
• a speed, c =  f (this is always the same: 300,000 km/s)
• an energy per photon, E = h f (where h is just a constant)
Note that because the speed of light is a constant,  , f, and E are
linked: if you know one, you know the other two.
The Electromagnetic Spectrum
 Light as a Particle
Light can also behave as particle. Each packet of light is called a
photon, and each photon carries a specific amount of energy
(associated with the photon’s wavelength or frequency).

Photons emitted from a source

will spread out in all directions
at the speed of light. Since the
amount of area surrounding a
source increases as the distance
squared, the density of photons
will decrease as 1/r2. This is the
inverse square law of light.
 Scattering of Light
Dust in the Earth’s atmosphere (or in space) can scatter light. In
general, short wavelength blue light gets scattered more than red
light. That’s why the sky is blue.
 Scattering of Light
The long path through the atmosphere means all the blue photons are
scattered away. That’s why the Sun is red at sunset.
 First Type of Radiation:
Blackbody Thermal Continuous Radiation
Anything that is hot (i.e., above absolute zero) produces light at all wavelengths –
a continuous spectrum. But the amount of light given off at each wavelength
depends on the object’s temperature.

For hotter objects:

• Peak intensity shifts
to shorter (bluer)
wavelengths
 peak  1/T
• more light is created
 Second Type of Radiation:
Emission Line Radiation
The nucleus of an atom contains its protons and neutrons. Circling around
the nucleus (in orbitals) are electrons. Since electrons are attracted to the
protons, they normally orbit in their lowest energy state (i.e., closest to the
nucleus), called the ground state.

Electrons can only orbit at very

specific radii from the nucleus, +
and these are different for
different elements.
Suppose something collided into an electron orbiting in the
lowest energy level. Some of the energy of the collision could
kick the electron up to a higher level, or an excited state.

+
Eventually, when the electron falls back down, it has to give
this energy back. It does so by giving off a photon of light.

Since each orbital has a

very specific level,
electron transitions Ephoton = E2-E1
between the orbitals
emit very specific
amounts of energy. The
spectrum from this +
process would not be
continuous but discrete E1
E2
E3
 Ionization and Emission
Suppose a very high energy photon passes near an atom. If the
photon has enough energy, it can kick the electron completely out of
the atom, and create an ion. Eventually, the electron will recombine
into (some level of) the ion, and cascade its way down to the lowest
energy level. Each downward transition will produce a photon with
the exact energy of the transition. This is not a continuous spectrum!
There is light only at very specific energies (i.e., colors) which
correspond to the different possible transitions.
Hydrogen

Iron
 Emission Line Spectra
Since every element has a different set of atomic orbital energies, the emission line
spectrum of every element is different. They are as unique as fingerprints!
Blackbody Spectra
Emission Line Spectra
 Absorption Line Spectra
An object (like a star) emits a hot blackbody spectrum. Somewhere between you
and the star (like on the outside of the star) is some cooler gas. That gas can
absorb the photons which correspond to the atom’s energy levels. The result is an
absorption spectrum.
Absorption Line Spectrum from the Sun
Continuous Spectrum

Emission Spectrum

Absorption Spectrum
Continuous, Emission, and Absorption Spectra
Question 1
Question 2
Question 2: (cont.)
 Question 3:

The following is a simplified energy level diagram for

atomic hydrogen.

State the ionisation

energy of atomic
hydrogen.

13.6 eV
Question 3: (cont.)
Account for the labelling of the energy levels with
negative numbers.
Energy is needed to raise the electrons to an energy of 0
eV, so it must start negative.

OR
Energy is given out when the electrons move to the
ground state, so energy now less than 0, i.e. negative

OR
the ground state is the most stable energy level of the
electrons and must be less than 0, i.e. negative
Question 3: (cont.)
Calculate the wavelength of the photon emitted when
an electron moves from the –1.51 eV energy level to
the –3.40 eV energy level.
Question 3: (cont.)

Describe how you would produce a line spectrum of

atomic hydrogen in a laboratory.

Source – hydrogen discharge tube/hydrogen

lamp/low p hydrogen with high V across (1)
viewed through diffraction grating or prism.