Collisional excitation minimum velocity

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves a sodium atom emitting a photon with a wavelength of 818 nm after being struck by an electron. The objective is to determine the minimum speed of the electron prior to the collision, considering energy and momentum conservation principles.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the relationship between the energy of the electron and the energy imparted to the sodium atom, questioning the assumptions made regarding energy conservation and the effects of the sodium atom's motion post-collision.

Discussion Status

There is ongoing exploration of the calculations involved, with participants sharing their results and questioning the precision required by the homework platform. Some suggest that the corrections for the sodium atom's motion and photon momentum may be minor but still relevant to the final answer.

Contextual Notes

Participants note discrepancies in the expected answer and discuss potential issues with input format or precision requirements from the homework system. There is uncertainty regarding the assumptions made about the system's dynamics and energy distribution.

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Homework Statement


A sodium atom emits a photon with wavelength 818 nm shortly after being struck by an electron. What minimum speed did the electron have before the collision?

Homework Equations


E_{particle}\geq\Delta E_{atom}

The Attempt at a Solution


For the minimum energy, E_{particle}=\Delta E_{atom}, and because the photon was emitted due to the collision:
\frac{m_ev^2}{2}=\frac{hc}{\lambda}
m_ev^2=\frac{2hc}{\lambda}
v=\sqrt{\frac{2hc}{m_e \lambda}}
v=\sqrt{\frac{2 \times 1239.842 \mathrm{eV} \times \mathrm{nm}}{9.11 \times 10^{-31} \times 818 \mathrm{nm} \times \mathrm{kg}}}

When I evaluate this, I get .73 \times 10^6 \frac{\mathrm m}{\mathrm s}, which Mastering Physics tells me is wrong. Is there something obvious I'm missing here?
 
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The sodium atom will move after the collision, this needs some energy. I don't know which precision is required here.
 
Okay, so if I look at the collision from the perspective of conservation of momentum, and I say M is the mass of the sodium atom, I get that m_ev_0+0M=m_ev_{post e}+Mv_{post Na}.
If I take the minimum energy, v_{poste}=0. That implies that the velocity of the sodium after the collision: v_{pS}=\frac{m_ev_0}{M}. Then I think I have to assume that E_{imparted}=E_{electron}-E_{Na}?
If I assume that, I get that E_{Na}=\frac{m_e^2v_0^2}{2M}, which implies that \frac{hc}{\lambda}=v_0^2\frac{2Mm_e-2m_e^2}{4M} which would imply that v_0^2=\frac{hc}{\lambda}\frac{4M}{2Mm_e-2m_e^2}, which gives me v_0=730192 \frac{\mathrm{m}}{\mathrm{s}}, which Mastering Physics also says is wrong.
Help?
 
Hmm... I agree with your value of ~730km/s, and as you calculated, those corrections are small. I really don't know which precision Mastering Physics wants (maybe it is just a matter of the correct input format?). For the minimal energy, both the nucleus and the electron should have the same velocity afterwards, and the photon will carry some momentum. Those are really tiny modifications of the result, however.
 
Well, apparently the answer was v_0=1.16 \times 10^6 \frac{\mathrm{m}}{\mathrm{s}}, which I have absolutely no idea how they got.
Anyone have any ideas?
 
Last edited:

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