Can an Electron Absorb Higher Frequency Photons to Transition Energy States?

[101nancyma]

Help!photoelectric effect

Hi guys, for an electron to jump from a lower energy to a higher energy state, it must absorb photons that correspond to the difference of the these 2 enegry states. I am wondering if it is okey for an electron to absorb greater frequency of photons(greater energy) to make the transition and release the extra energy?

 

[sylas]

Hi guys, for an electron to jump from a lower energy to a higher energy state, it must absorb photons that correspond to the difference of the these 2 enegry states. I am wondering if it is okey for an electron to absorb greater frequency of photons(greater energy) to make the transition and release the extra energy?

Yes... as long as it is enough energy to get right out from the atom. The electron gets ejected with a velocity that makes up the energy difference. But for less than the ionization energy, you are pretty much limited to the transitions from one level to another.

 

[astrokreng]

Hi there, thank you for reaching out for help with the photoelectric effect. To answer your question, yes, it is possible for an electron to absorb photons of a higher frequency (and therefore higher energy) to make the transition and release the extra energy. This is known as the inverse photoelectric effect. However, the energy of the photon must still match the difference in energy between the two states for the electron to make the transition. I hope this helps!