A What is the true energy required to excite an atomic electron?

Click For Summary
The discussion centers on the energy required for electronic excitation of an atom, defined as Planck’s constant multiplied by the frequency of waves per second. It highlights that electronic excitation occurs on a time scale much shorter than one second, raising questions about whether excitation is due to a single wave or multiple waves. A complete understanding of this process involves quantum field theory (QFT) and the quantization of the electromagnetic field. While a basic quantum mechanics (QM) approach describes the absorption and emission of a single photon, this simplification does not capture the full complexity of atomic excitation. The conversation emphasizes the need for a deeper analysis beyond basic QM to fully explain the phenomenon.
Maurice Morelock
Messages
17
Reaction score
5
TL;DR
Is electronic excitation caused by a single wave or multiple waves in a given time period?
Energy is equal to Planck’s constant times the number of waves in 1 sec. The time scale for electronic excitation is far shorter then one second. So when we talk about the excitation of an electron from a lower level to a higher level occurring at a certain energy, are we talking about the exciting photon as a single wave with the amplitude equal to the number of waves in one sec?
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
Maurice Morelock said:
Summary:: Is electronic excitation caused by a single wave or multiple waves in a given time period?

Energy is equal to Planck’s constant times the number of waves in 1 sec. The time scale for electronic excitation is far shorter then one second. So when we talk about the excitation of an electron from a lower level to a higher level occurring at a certain energy, are we talking about the exciting photon as a single wave with the amplitude equal to the number of waves in one sec?
A full description of the excitation of an atom by a photon requires an analysis using QFT and, in particular, the quantization of the EM field.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantization_of_the_electromagnetic_field

The simplest description using only QM has a single photon of precisely the correct energy being absorbed by the atom and then a photon of the same energy being subsequently emitted. This is, however, not the whole story.
 

Thread 'Angular Momentum Vector and Its Magnitude'

For the quantum state ##|l,m\rangle= |2,0\rangle## the z-component of angular momentum is zero and ##|L^2|=6 \hbar^2##. According to uncertainty it is impossible to determine the values of ##L_x, L_y, L_z## simultaneously. However, we know that ##L_x## and ## L_y##, like ##L_z##, get the values ##(-2,-1,0,1,2) \hbar##. In other words, for the state ##|2,0\rangle## we have ##\vec{L}=(L_x, L_y,0)## with ##L_x## and ## L_y## one of the values ##(-2,-1,0,1,2) \hbar##. But none of these...
View full post »

Similar threads

I Will an electron release energy when it is added into an atom?
Replies
6
Views
1K
B What happens to excess energy when an electron gets excited by light?
Replies
7
Views
2K
B Frequency of an EM wave in Classical and Quantum Physics
Replies
6
Views
2K
I Why does the energy level of an electron in an atom have a width?
Replies
3
Views
2K
I Continuous Spectrum and Energy levels of Electrons (Energy Bands)
Replies
7
Views
2K
I Questions about Franck-Condon principle
Replies
3
Views
3K
I Question about Photons causing Electron Transitions in Atoms
Replies
20
Views
2K
I Emission Spectrum & Energy: Exciting Hydrogen Vapor
Replies
3
Views
1K
B Are electrons in atoms always in eigenstates?
Replies
6
Views
2K
B Energy needed for electron's change in energy level in an atom
Replies
15
Views
3K