Discussion Overview
The discussion revolves around the excitation of electrons by electromagnetic sources, specifically focusing on the energy requirements for ionization and excitation of electrons in atoms. Participants explore the conditions under which photons can interact with bound electrons, including the implications of using photons with energies lower than the ionization threshold.
Discussion Character
- Exploratory
- Technical explanation
- Debate/contested
Main Points Raised
- One participant questions whether a photon with less energy than the ionization energy can still add energy to an electron and whether the electron would re-emit the photon with less energy.
- Another participant asserts that to excite an electron to a higher orbital, the photon must have the exact energy corresponding to that orbital, although they note that "exact" is a relative term in practice.
- There is a claim that if a photon has energy close to an energy gap, it may be absorbed, promoting an electron to a higher energy state, while a photon with insufficient energy would simply scatter.
- One participant argues against the possibility of using two photons of lower energy to achieve the same excitation as a single photon with the exact energy, suggesting that this would affect the absorption spectra.
- Another participant provides links to external sources for further reading on multi-photon absorption, indicating a search for more reliable information.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants express differing views on the energy requirements for electron excitation and the feasibility of multi-photon absorption, indicating that the discussion remains unresolved with multiple competing perspectives.
Contextual Notes
There are limitations regarding the assumptions made about photon energy and electron excitation, as well as the definitions of terms like "exact" in the context of energy levels. The discussion also touches on the precision of absorption spectra and the implications of using different energy sources.