The Photoelectric Effect University of Oxford（光电效应的牛津大学）.pdf

The Photoelectric Effect If the conditions are right, a beam of light can knock electrons out of the surface of a metal. When the effect was first discovered, one of the most striking things about it was that it could not be explained by the classical theory of electromagnetism, the only available theory of light at the time. Firstly, we will define a few terms. The electrons emitted from the surface are called photoelectrons . If the frequency of the light is swept, we find that there is a minimum frequency ν0 below which no electrons are emitted. The energy hν0 corresponding to this frequency is called the work function of the surface, and is often given the symbol φ. In experiments used to investigate the photoelectric effect, the photoelectrons are usually collected on a metal plate detector, which forms part of an electrical circuit. The current measured in the circuit is proportional to the number of electrons striking the detector plate. To measure the kinetic energy of the electrons, we can apply a static potential Vr (often known as a retarding potential) to the plate. Only electrons with a kinetic energy greater than eVr, where e is the electronic charge, will reach the plate; any electrons with a kinetic energy less than eV will be repelled, and won’t be detected. The stopping potential , V , is the r 0 retarding potential at which no more electrons are detected, and tells us the kinetic energy of the fastest electrons i.e. K =eV . One of the important early observations about the photoelectric max 0 effect is that for a particula