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kichigai
when an excited electron emits a photon what happens to the EM field of the electron
Integral said:The electron can only emit a photon when it is accelerated. Nothing happens to the field due to the electron itself.
Integral said:The electron can only emit a photon when it is accelerated. Nothing happens to the field due to the electron itself.
ArmoSkater87 said:Actually, IIRC from another thread, its the changes in the fields due to acceleration that causes a photon to be emitted from a charged particle. I don't think the electron accelerates when changing from an energy level to the ground state because the electron doesn't travel through the distance separating the energy levels...it is not allowed.
kichigai said:That makes sense for a free electron in a synchrotron.
My understanding is that free electrons do not emit photons unless their paths are changed during the acceleration. Do electrons emit photons when they are linearly accelerated? If so, in what direction?
ArmoSkater87 said:You are right, FREE electrons emit photons when accelerated. Since acceleration is a vector, changing direction OR increasing in speed in a linear path (or a combination of both) would all be considered as acceleration, and so in all cases the electron would emit a photon.
what_are_electrons said:In the case of linear acceleration, is there a preferred direction for emission?
Integral said:When changing states in an atom, is it the electron which emits the photon, or the atom? I say it is the atom. So when you speak of an electron emitting a photon it must be a free electron.
A photon emission process is a phenomenon in which an atom or molecule releases energy in the form of a photon, or a particle of light. This process occurs when an electron in an excited state transitions to a lower energy state, emitting a photon in the process.
A photon emission process occurs when an electron in an excited state has excess energy and transitions to a lower energy state. This can happen spontaneously or through interactions with other particles. When the electron transitions to a lower energy state, it releases the excess energy in the form of a photon.
There are several types of photon emission processes, including spontaneous emission, stimulated emission, and fluorescence. Spontaneous emission occurs when an electron transitions to a lower energy state without any external influence. Stimulated emission occurs when an external photon stimulates an electron to transition to a lower energy state, resulting in the emission of two photons. Fluorescence is a type of photon emission process in which an atom or molecule absorbs energy and then releases it in the form of a photon.
The rate of photon emission can be affected by several factors, including the energy levels of the atoms or molecules involved, the temperature of the system, and the presence of other particles that can interact with the emitting particle. Additionally, the type of material and its physical properties can also impact the rate of photon emission.
Photon emission processes have many practical applications, including in lighting technology, telecommunications, and medical imaging. They are also used in various scientific fields, such as spectroscopy and quantum mechanics, to study the behavior of atoms and molecules.