Aim

To experimentally demonstrate the concept of quantization of energy levels according to Bohrs model of atom.

Apparatus
A mercury-filled Franck-Hertz tube, a neon-filled Franck-Hertz tube, an oven, a control unit for power supply, and a DC current amplifier.

Sketch of Franck-Hertz Apparatus

Theory
James Franck and Gustav Hertz conducted an experiment in 1914, which demonstrated the existence of excited states in mercury atoms. It confirms the prediction of quantum theory that electrons occupy only discrete, quantized energy states. This experiment supports Bohr model of atom. For this great invention they have been awarded Nobel Prize in Physics in the year 1925. Apparatus used for the experiment consist of a tube containing low pressure gas, fitted with three electrodes: cathode for electron emission, a mesh grid for the acceleration of electrons and a collecting plate. With the help of thermionic emission, electrons are emitted by a heated cathode, and then accelerated toward a grid which is at a positive potential, relative to the cathode. The collecting plate is at a lower potential and is negative with respect to mesh grid. If electrons have sufficient energy on reaching the grid, some will pass through the grid, and reach collecting plate, and it will be measured as current by the ammeter. Electrons which do not have sufficient energy on reaching the grid will be slowed down, and will fall back to the grid. As long as the electron collision is elastic, the electrons will not lose energy on colliding with gas molecules in tube. As the accelerating potential increases, the current also increases. But as the accelerating potential reaches a particular value,

(4.9eV for mercury, 19eV for neon), each electron posses that much of potential and now the collision become inelastic. As a result the energy level of electron bound to the atom is raised. Now the electron almost loses its energy, and measured current drops. The experimental results confirm the existence of discrete energy levels.

Franck-Hertz Data for Mercury

When the accelerating voltage reaches 4.9eV (lowest energy required by the mercury atom for excitation), the current drops sharply. This drop is due to inelastic collisions between the accelerated electrons and electrons in the mercury atoms. The sudden onset suggests that the mercury electrons cannot accept energy until it reaches the threshold to elevate them to an excited state. Collected current drops at multiples of 4.9eV. At 9.8 V, each electron gets sufficient energy to participate in two inelastic collisions. They excite two mercury atoms, and no energy will be left. This process will repeat, for each interval of 4.9eV.

Franck-Hertz Data for Neon

For Neon gas, the process of energy absorption from electron collisions is clearly visible. When the accelerated electrons excite the electrons in neon to upper states, they de-excite in such a way as to produce a visible glow in the gas region in which the excitation is taking place. There are about ten excited levels in the range 18.3 to 19.5 eV. They de-excite by dropping to lower states at 16.57 and 16.79 eV. This energy difference gives light in the visible range. If the accelerating voltage is high enough, they can undergo a series of reactions, by the inelastic collision between electrons and neon gas. Almost similar pattern is observed in the case of neon gas at intervals of approximately19 eV.

THE FRANCK-HERTZ EXPERIMENT OBJECT: To demonstrate, through the study of collisions between electrons and gas molecules, that the energy is indeed quantized in atomic interactions. APPARATUS: A mercury-filled Franck-Hertz tube, an electric oven, a neon-filled Franck-Hertz tube, a control unit providing various power supplies and a DC current amplifier, and digital oscilloscope. BACKGROUND:

Simplified Circuit for Franck-Hertz Experiment In an oven-heated vacuum tube containing mercury gas, electrons are emitted by a heated cathode, and then accelerated toward a grid that is at a potential, Va, relative to the cathode. The anode (plate) is at a lower potential, Vp = Va - DV. If electrons have sufficient energy when they reach the grid, some will pass through and reach the anode. They will be measured as current Ic by the ammeter. If the electrons do not have sufficient energy when they reach the grid, they will be slowed by DV, and will fall back to the grid. As long as the electron/molecule collisions are elastic, the collector current depends only on Va and DV since the electrons lose no energy. However, Franck and Hertz discovered that Ic went through a series of maxima and minima as Va was varied. This implies that the gas molecules absorb energy from the electrons only at specific electron energies (resonant energies). For example, the first excited state of mercury is 4.9 eV above the ground state. This is thus the minimum energy that mercury atoms can absorb from the accelerated electrons. Hence, if Va< 4.9 volts,

any collisions are elastic and if Va >DV, many electrons pass through the grid and reach the anode, to be measured as Ic. If Va= 4.9 volts, the electrons gain enough kinetic energy to collide inelastically with the mercury atoms just when they reach the grid. In these interactions, the mercury atoms absorb 4.9 eV. Thus, the electrons lose the same amount and no longer have sufficient energy to overcome DV. They fall back to the grid and Ic is a minimum. As Va is raised beyond 4.9 volts, Ic increases again. However, when Va reaches 9.8 volts, the electrons can lose all their energy in two collisions with mercury atoms in two inelastic collisions between the cathode and grid. Again, these are pushed back onto the grid, and Ic falls to a minimum. Current minimum are found whenever Va is a multiple of 4.9 volts. This simplified description neglects contact potentials. Therefore, Va will need to be somewhat higher than 4.9 volts when the first minimum occurs. Nevertheless, all successive current minima should differ by multiples of 4.9 volts from the first minimum. The spectral frequency corresponding to this energy is 1.18 x 10-15Hz and the wavelength is 253.7 nm. In their original experiments, Franck and Hertz verified the presence of the ultraviolet radiation with the aid of a quartz spectrometer. Neon has 10 energy states in the range between 18.3eV and 19.5eV. From these excited levels, the Ne atoms decay to other excited states. These intermediate states decay to the ground state by emitting visible radiation and can be seen in a tube with the room darkened. THE EXPERIMENT

Insert a thermometer (0-200 C) into the top hole of the oven and position the tip to be near the center of the tube. Plug the oven into an appropriate AC power outlet, then turn the thermostat dial to 180 C. Keep an eye on the thermometer. Do not let the temperature exceed 205 C. Connect the tube, control unit, and oscilloscope as follows. Note the German labeling: M = Plate Anode or A = Grid Anode!) (not H = Heater Filament K = Cathode Ub = Accelerating voltage Va

AFTER the tube has warmed up 10 -15 minutes, switch on the control unit. Set the controls as follows:

Heater = a little less than midrange Accelerating voltage = fully counterclockwise (Va) Amplitude = nearly all the way counterclockwise Reverse bias = fully counterclockwise Switch Va = ramp (a sawtooth waveform voltage-60 Hz)
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After the cathode has warmed up for at least 90 seconds, slowly increase the accelerating voltage amplitude with the control knob. The Franck-Hertz curve should appear on the oscilloscope screen. If necessary, improve the the display by judiciously adjusting the "gain" control and the cathode temperature "filament heating". Adjust the accelerating voltage such that no self-sustained discharge takes place in the tube. Otherwise, the curve is destroyed by collisional ionization. The accelerating voltage maximum should be about 30V.

The neon tube doesn't require an external heater but it does have two more connections to be made with the Control unit. The color coding and labeling should be followed. The response is very sensitive to the heater setting - approximately 6.5 seems to work well. Neon has 10 energy states in the range between 18.3eV and 19.5eV. From these excited levels, the Ne atoms decay to other excited states and these states decay to the ground state by emitting visible radiation.

ANALYSIS: Note that on the oscilloscope trace the vertical deflection is proportional to the anode current Ic, and the input to the x-channel of the oscilloscope is equal to Va. Use the digital oscilloscope to average traces for both channels. Observe and save the traces in both the dual trace and X-Y modes. Explain why the current peaks are not evenly spaced in the dual trace mode. Now transfer the two time traces to a computer. While you can observe on the oscilloscope the traces in X-Y mode, you will have to transfer the traces separately and then recombine them in other software (preferably Origin) to obtain Ic vs. Va. Read the data into Origin and plot the anode signal vs. the ramp voltage. On the plot, use the crosshairs tool to measure values of Va for which the collector current (Ic) is a minimum and compute the separation between adjacent dips. Then tabulate the voltage difference between adjacent maxima. Compute a 90% confidence interval for your results. You should find that the current minima and maxima are spaced at intervals of ~4.9 volts, showing that the excitation energy of the mercury atom is ~ 4.9 eV. Compare this energy with your 90% confidence interval and explain any deviation. Repeat the analysis for the Neon tube. You will need a higher Va and reverse bias for this tube. Convert your excitation energy values for Hg and Ne in to nanometers and identify the EM spectral region in which they lie. Draw an energy level diagram for the two elements. How are the differences in them manifested in your Ic vs. Va data? What effect does the spread in kinetic energy of the incident electrons affect your data?