Is it possible for the electron to emit more than one photon when transitioning to the N 1 level?
There is no “limit” to the number of emitted photons, as long as there’s still energy available / still a valid lower-energy state for the electron to fall into.
Can an atom emit more than one photon?
Yes, any electron can “emit” more than one photon, even electrons not bound to atoms (as long as the electrons are capable of losing energy).
Can an electron emit more than one photon?
Physicists have long known that a single atom can absorb or emit two photons simultaneously. These two-photon, one-atom processes are widely used for spectroscopy and for the production of entangled photons used in quantum devices.
Why can single electron emit a single photon?
A single photon can only eject a single electron, as the energy of one photon may only be absorbed by one electron. Each photon has a specific energy related to its wavelength, such that photons of short wavelength (blue light) carry more energy than long wavelength (red light) photons.
Why do electrons emit photons?
Electrons emit photons to shed energy. An atomically bound electron goes from shell to shell (around an atom) it requires a quanta of energy – a photon to be absorbed or emitted. This because it requires a certain energy level to occupy a particular shell.
How many photons do electrons emit?
An unaccelerated, free electron can only emit 1 photon, when being annihilated by colliding with a positron. Both particles will be converted into one photon each, each having an energy of 0.511 MeV.
How does an atom absorb a photon?
An atom can absorb or emit one photon when an electron makes a transition from one stationary state, or energy level, to another. Conservation of energy determines the energy of the photon and thus the frequency of the emitted or absorbed light.
How do atoms absorb and emit light?
Atoms emit light when they are heated or excited at high energy levels. Absorption occurs when electrons absorb photons which causes them to gain energy and jump to higher energy levels. Notice emission in the picture above. It shows the electron moving down energy levels.
Can electron absorb a photon?
When an electron is hit by a photon of light, it absorbs the quanta of energy the photon was carrying and moves to a higher energy state.
Why is it not possible that only one photon is produced by this annihilation?
If they annihilate and produce a single photon of the appropriate energy there is a problem because that photon also has a momentum where there was zero momentum before. There would need to be two photons moving in opposite directions to conserve both energy and momentum.
Why are two photons produced in annihilation?
Two photons are produced in ANNIHILATION, to conserve spin as well. Photons have quantum spin as an inherent property and it is non-zero. When ‘spit’ to pairs; each pair keeps a shared polar axis direction (antiparallel) which can be at ANY angle to propagation direction.
What happens if a photon hits an electron with 4 eV?
The electron in this ground state needs four eV to jump to the next energy level. That means if a photon that had an energy of four eV came in and struck the electron, the electron would absorb the energy of the photon, causing the photon to disappear, and that electron would jump up to the next energy level.
What happens if an electron absorbs a photon with enough energy?
If an electron absorbs a photon with enough energy to increase its potential energy above 0eV, then the electron becomes free and is no longer bound to the atom and the atom then becomes ionized. X-rays and high energy ultraviolet light have enough energy to ionize atoms. Comment on Mark Zwald’s post “If an electron absorbs a …”
What happens to an electron when it reaches a higher energy level?
Once the electron’s at the higher energy level, it won’t stay there long. Electrons, if given the chance, will fall towards the lowest energy level they can. So our electron will fall back down to the ground state and give up four eV of energy. The way an electron can give up energy is by emitting a photon.
How many eV of energy does an electron give up?
So our electron will fall back down to the ground state and give up four eV of energy. The way an electron can give up energy is by emitting a photon. So after falling back down to the ground state, this electron would emit a four eV photon. Electrons don’t have to just jump one energy level at a time though.