Photoelectric Effect CPD

NIS PhM Taraz

Prepared by Victor Avasi
24 January 2019

Created by Victor Avasi, Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Physics and Mathematics Taraz
 Objective
• Provide to teachers a simplified resource for
explaining the concept of saturation current to
students

Created by Victor Avasi, Nazarbayev

Intellectual School of Physics and
Mathematics Taraz
 Important point 1
• Photoelectric effect happens when photons of
sufficient energy reach the surface of any
metal.
• The photoelectric effect does not need an
external voltage.
• It needs photons of sufficient energy

Created by Victor Avasi, Nazarbayev

Intellectual School of Physics and
Mathematics Taraz
 Important point 0

Created by Victor Avasi, Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Physics and Mathematics

Taraz
 Organizing the phenomenon
• Einstein set up an organized way of studying
the photoelectric effect.
• He introduced the idea of an electric field in a
vacuum

Created by Victor Avasi, Nazarbayev

Intellectual School of Physics and
Mathematics Taraz
Einstein’s apparatus

Created by Victor Avasi, Nazarbayev

Intellectual School of Physics and
Mathematics Taraz
 Important points 2
• Photoelectric emission is not photocurrent
• A cathode (test metal) emits photoelectrons
when it is hit by sufficiently energetic photons.
• The voltage source creates an electric field
between the anode and cathode.
• The anode is also known as the collecting
electrode

Created by Victor Avasi, Nazarbayev

Intellectual School of Physics and
Mathematics Taraz
 Important points 2 continued
• The electric field causes sufficiently energetic
electrons to move (photocurrent) to the anode
• Photoelectrons with little energy do not reach
the anode.
• The photocurrent cannot flow unless there is an
external voltage to attract the electrons
• Electrons can be stopped from reaching the
collecting electrode using a stopping voltage

Created by Victor Avasi, Nazarbayev

Intellectual School of Physics and
Mathematics Taraz
Characteristic graph

Created by Victor Avasi, Nazarbayev

Intellectual School of Physics and
Mathematics Taraz
 Photoelectric effect basics
For a metal of a given work function, photons of:
• Frequency f0<f means no ejection of electrons
• Frequency f0=f means ejection of electrons to
the surface, with zero kinetic energy
• Frequency f0>f means ejection of electrons
with a range of kinetic energies
• Ejected electrons conserve momentum of the
photons. However, there is no current for V=0
Created by Victor Avasi, Nazarbayev
Intellectual School of Physics and
Mathematics Taraz
 Important notes 3
• The range of kinetic energies and energy from the
electric field explain the S-shape of the I-V graph
• In the shaded region, electrons have total energy
given by:
• Etotal=Ekinetic + Efield
• If Etotal is smaller than a certain amount, the
photocurrent does not saturate but grows.
• Once Etotal is sufficient, all electrons per second
reach the anode.
Created by Victor Avasi, Nazarbayev
Intellectual School of Physics and
Mathematics Taraz