Electron excited from the ground state to a quantum state

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the energy transitions of an electron in a quantum state, specifically focusing on the calculations related to energy levels in a helium atom and the corresponding photon wavelengths emitted during transitions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to calculate the energy levels for an electron transitioning from the ground state to a higher state, questioning the discrepancy between their calculated wavelength and an online solution. They also explore angular momentum and magnetic quantum numbers related to the transition.

Discussion Status

Participants are examining the calculations and assumptions made regarding the energy levels of helium versus hydrogen. Some guidance has been provided regarding the correctness of the original poster's thought process, and there is an acknowledgment of potential errors in external solutions.

Contextual Notes

There is a noted distinction between calculations for helium and hydrogen, which may affect the outcomes. The discussion includes references to selection rules and quantum numbers relevant to the problem.

jisbon
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Homework Statement
The electron in a He+ atom is excited from ground to quantum state n=3 by radiation.
i.Calculate the wavelength of the radiation
ii.Calculate the magnitude of orbital angular momentum
iii.Calculate the magnitudes of the possible orbital angular momentum in z-direction
Relevant Equations
##E_{n}=\dfrac {-13.6z^{2}}{n^{2}}eV##
Hi there, popping by here to check my answer because another online platform has already answered it but my answer appears to be wrong. I can't seem to understand why though :/

Since I can find the energy at a state to be ##E_{n}=\dfrac {-13.6z^{2}}{n^{2}}eV##
At ground state where n=1,
##E_{1}=\dfrac {-13.6(2)^{2}}{1^{2}}eV = -54.4eV##
And at n=3,
##E_{3}=\dfrac {-13.6(2)^{2}}{3^{2}}eV = -6.04444...eV##
Since photon energy ##E_{p}h=hf=\dfrac {hc}{\lambda }=\dfrac {1240}{\lambda }eV ##
Shouldn't it just be:
## -6.04444...eV-(-54.4eV) = \dfrac {1240}{\lambda }eV##
and the wavelength I got is 25.6nm, which is a far cry from the online solution which is 102nm :/

As for part ii, since ##L=\sqrt {l\left( l+1\right) }\hbar##, and l must be =1 due to the selection rule of allowed transitions, hence ##L=\sqrt {2}\hbar ##?

And lastly for part iii, since ##m_{l}## is -1,0,1 , ##L_{z}## must be ##\hbar## or -##\hbar##?

Cheers
 
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jisbon said:
and the wavelength I got is 25.6nm, which is a far cry from the online solution which is 102nm :/
Looks like they did the calculation for hydrogen, not helium.
 
gneill said:
Looks like they did the calculation for hydrogen, not helium.
So my answer/thought process is correct in this case? Thanks
 
jisbon said:
So my answer/thought process is correct in this case? Thanks
Yup. Certainly looks that way.
 
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gneill said:
Yup. Certainly looks that way.
Guess I can't trust all online solutions :/ Thanks for the clarification :D
 
You're most welcome. Here we regularly spot errors in other site's purported solutions.
 
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