Question about photon absorbtion/emission by hydrogen

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the interaction of a 20eV photon with hydrogen gas, specifically addressing the energy dynamics involved in the photoelectric effect and Compton scattering. When a photon with energy of 20eV is absorbed by a hydrogen atom, it requires 13.6eV to eject an electron from the ground state, leaving 6.4eV of excess energy. This excess energy can either contribute to the kinetic energy of the ejected electron or be emitted as a secondary photon, potentially of 3.2eV, illustrating the competing mechanisms of energy distribution in photon interactions.

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  • Understanding of the photoelectric effect
  • Knowledge of Compton scattering
  • Familiarity with photon energy calculations
  • Basic concepts of atomic structure and electron behavior
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  • Study the principles of Compton scattering and its applications
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Students in physics, educators teaching quantum mechanics, and researchers interested in photon interactions with matter will benefit from this discussion.

ChowPuppy
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I had this problem for my physics class where we had a 20eV photon interaction with hydrogen gas. It takes 13.6eV to knock electrons off of the atoms from the ground state after the photon is absorbed by the hydrogen atom, but that leaves 6.4eV left over.

Does all of this energy go into the kinetic energy of the electron, or could another photon of, say, 3.2eV be emitted while the other 3.2eV goes into kinetic energy?
 
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That's a good question. I'm pretty sure that the first one is termed the "photoelectric effect" and the second one termed "Compton scattering". Maybe someone who knows a bit more about it can give more info on the "when where why" of why one mechanism is favored over the other.
 

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