Laws for describing

energy distribution
• On analyzing the radiation from the black-body using a spectrometer
– found – intensity distribution as a function of wavelength has a well
defined shape.
• distribution of energy not
uniform
•At particular temp. int. of
rad. Increases upto
particular wavelength and
decrease with further
increase in wavelength
•Peak energy shifts towards
shorter wavelength
•Rate of emission increases
rapidly with as the
temperature increases.
Stefan and Boltzmann’s law: it is found
that the radiation energy is proportional
to the fourth power of the associated
temperature.

E (T ) = T 4

E(T) is actually the area

under each curve, σ is called
Stefan’s constant and T is The blackbody radiation of
absolute temperature. spectra for four different
temperatures.
 Wien’s displacement law: the peak of the
curve shifts towards longer wavelength as
the temperature falls

 peakT = b
where b is called the Wein’s constant.
This law is quite useful for measuring the
temperature of a blackbody with a very high
temperature.
The above laws describes the blackbody radiation
very well.
• Rayleigh and Jeans
In 1890, Rayleigh and Jeans obtained a
formula using the classical electromagnetic
(Maxwell) theory and the classical
equipartition theorem of energy in
thermodynamics .The formula is given by

E (T ) = C1 T −4
Rayleigh-Jeans formula was correct for
very long wavelength in the far infrared but
hopelessly wrong in the visible light and
ultravioletregion.
Maxwell’s electromagnetic theory and
thermodynamics are known as correct theory.
Rayleigh-Jeans’ line

Wein’s line
The failure in explaining
blackbody radiation puzzled
physicists! It was regarded as
ultraviolet-Catastrophe
Fig. 9.3 Blackbody radiation
(disaster).
• Wein’s formula:
Later on in 1896, Wein derived another
important formula using thermodynamics.
C
−5 − T3
E (T ) = C2  e
Unfortunately, this formula is only valid in
the region of short wavelengths.
E(T)
Rayleigh-Jeans’ line

Wein’s line

1 2 3 ( m)
T=1500K
 Planck’s Quantum Theory
• C.T failed to explain energy spectrum of a black body.
• Accd. to C.T – an oscillating particle can have any value of freq. and
emits continuous energy.
• Plank was successful in explaining the energy spectrum with the
following assumptions
– BB composed of large number of oscillating particles (oscillators) capable of
vibrating with all possible frequencies.
– Energy of the oscillating particle is quantized
can have energy E = nhn
h – plank’s constant ;
n – frequency of radiation
n – 0,1,2,3…
– Energy of a single photon of frequency is given by
E = hn
• Vibrating particle emit energy – one quantized state to another

• Oscillating particle can emit or absorb energy only in discrete amounts of hn

– Exchange of energy between radiation and matter is not continuous – bundles or

packets of quanta of definite energy – Photons

• Planck’s law of radiation

– The energy density of radiation in an enclosure at temperature T with a
wavelength range  and +d is given by

Ed =8phc-5/ (e(hc/kT)-1) ---- (1)

h – Planck’s constant

c – Velocity of light

 – wavelength

kB – Boltzmann constant

T – temp. of the enclosure

• Special cases
– Wein’s distribution law
 E 
 
• For shorter , n = c/ is large. Hence e  k BT  is very large

 E 
 
 k BT 
• Therefore e >> 1, so neglecting 1 in the denominator of eqn (1) we
get
8phc−5
E  d =  hc 
d
 
 k B T 
e

 − hc 
 
wein’s distribution law −5  k BT
E d = 8phc e 
d
• Rayleigh Jean’s law
 hc 
 
– For longer , n = c/ is small, therefore  k BT 
 is very small.
 hc 
 
– Expanding e  k B T  as power series, we get

 hc  2

 k B T

hc  hc 
e 
= 1+ +   + ....
 k BT   k B T 

 hc 
 
higher powers are neglected  k B T hc
e 
= 1+
k B T
 hc 
 
 k B T hc hc
Therefore e 
−1 = 1+ −1 = ----- (a)
k B T k B T
Sub eqn. (a) in eqn. (1)
8phc−5
E  d = d = 8pk B − 4Td 
Rayleigh Jeans Law  hc 
 

 B 
k T