Franck Hertz Experiment

Intoduction :
The Franck Hertz experiment was first studied in 1914 by James Franck and Gustav Hertz and
presented to the German Physical Society. It was the first electrical measurement to show the
quantum nature of atoms. The Franck Hertz experiment consisted of a vacuum tube designed
to study the energetic electrons that flew through a thin vapour of mercury atoms. It was
discovered that only a specific amount of an atom’s kinetic energy would lose as the electrons
collide with the mercury atom. In the Franck-Hertz experiment, an electron beam is produced
by thermionic emission from a filament. The electrons are accelerated, pass through the vapor,
and are then retarded (decelerated) by a few volts before collection at the anode. This all takes
place in a tube contained within an oven that controls the tube’s temperature and thus the
mercury vapor density

Aim:
To demonstrate the concept of quantisation of the energy levels according to the Bohr’s model
of an atom.

Materials Required:
Following are the list of materials required for this experiment:

 Franck hertz Control unit

 Franck hertz Hg-tube
 S-spin connecting cable for Hg-tube
 Shielding BNC cable
Theory:
The original experiment used a heated vacuum tube of temperature 115 °C with a drop of
mercury of vapour pressure 100 Pa. Three electrodes, an electron-emitting hot cathode, a
metal mesh grid, and an anode are attached to the tube. To draw the emitted electrons, the
grid’s voltage is made positive with respect to the cathode. The electric current measured in the
experiment results from the movement of electrons from the grid to the anode. The electric
potential at the anode is slightly more negative than the grid so the electrons have the kinetic
energy the same as in the grid. The Franck Hertz experiment was explained in terms of elastic
and inelastic collisions between the electrons and the mercury atoms.
The graphs show the dependence of the electric current flowing out of the anode and
the electric potential between the grid and the cathode. Following are the observations from
the graph:

 With the steady increase in the potential difference, the current increases steadily
through the tube.
 The current drops almost to zero at 4.9 volts.
 Again there is an increase in the current as voltage increases to 9.8 volts.
 Again a similar drop is observed at 9.8 volts.
Procedure:

 The accelerating potential Va is gradually increased from zero and the current was
measured continuously . A graph is plotted between V and I shown in figure (1.2) From
graph it is clear that initially Current increase .
 with increase in accelerating Voltage Va becomes maximum at Vo = 4.9 volt
 then current drops sharply for a while then the current start increasing again for further
increase in Accelerating Voltage Va and again drop sharply at 2Vo . The behaviour is
repeated in Integral multiple of Vo
 However with increase in Accelerating voltage , kinetic energy of electron increases and
at certain value of Va (4.9), it becomes to first excitation energy of Hg
 At this stage , during inelastic collision, electron energy is utilized in excitation and
current drops sharply
 The electron of Hg in excited state comes back to ground state by emitting photons of
energy 4.9V
 Franck Hertz observed the emission spectrum of Hg vapours in the tube below 4.9 . No
spectral lines appears but At 4.9V , a spectral line of λ = 2536 Ao

Mathematical steps:
hc
E=hv=
λ

(6.63 ×10−63 )(3 ×108 )

E= −10
2536 ×10

−19
E=7.83× 10

or

E=4.89 ev

Result:
Hence proved that the difference between first excitation energy and ground state is 4.9V.

As we increase the accelerating voltage so the electron regain its energy ,

and accelerate through plate A, and then current produced .

And at the values of integral multiple of 4.9 , due to inelastic collision electron loses its energy
and current drops then this process repeat again .

It is verified from above statement that the energy states in mercury atom is quantized it also
verify the bohr’s postulate.

Conclusion:
Franck and Hertz’s method (experiment) was an experimental proof of Bohr’s theory, which
stated that Energy levels are discrete or electrons in an atom are placed in different energy
levels.

To prove this, they conducted the experiment using a neon/mercury tube which consisted of a
highly charged cathode, a grid of mercury atom at a higher voltage and an anode as a collector.
When electrons were ejected from the cathode (thermionic emission) some electrons passed
through the grid to the collector and some slower electrons couldn’t make it. Which proved
that not all the electrons in an atom has the same energy, rather they are distributed on
different energy levels (discrete). If they had the same energy either they all would’ve passed
the barrier or none of them would.