songoku
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Let say hypothetically there are 2 different energy levels in an atom, n =1 state and n = 2 state and at n = 1 the electron has energy level of 5 eV and at n = 2 the electron has energy level of 8 eV.
What happens to the electron, when at n = 1 there is photon of energy 4 eV falls on it? Will it move to n = 2 state or will it stay at n = 1?
Electron can move from lower energy level to higher energy level when it absorbs energy equal to the difference between the energy levels based on equation: ##hf = \Delta E##
If the incident photon has lower energy compared to ##\Delta E##, then electron won't move to higher energy level. But what about if the incident photon has higher energy compared to ##\Delta E##?
1. Will the electron still move to n = 2 by only absorbing 3 eV from the photon and "ignoring" the remainder 1 eV? If yes, what happens to the remainder 1 eV?
2. Or maybe the electron just stay at n = 1 because the energy of photon does not match the required energy to move to n = 2, even tough the energy is more than required?
Thanks
If the incident photon has lower energy compared to ##\Delta E##, then electron won't move to higher energy level. But what about if the incident photon has higher energy compared to ##\Delta E##?
1. Will the electron still move to n = 2 by only absorbing 3 eV from the photon and "ignoring" the remainder 1 eV? If yes, what happens to the remainder 1 eV?
2. Or maybe the electron just stay at n = 1 because the energy of photon does not match the required energy to move to n = 2, even tough the energy is more than required?
Thanks