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Experimental Study of Photoelectric Effect

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Estimated time: 8 minutes
CBSE: Class 12

Aim of the Experiment

  • To study the emission of electrons from a metal surface when light falls on it.
  • To examine how photocurrent varies with applied potential, light intensity, and incident radiation frequency.
  • To identify important observations that cannot be explained completely by the classical wave theory of light.
CBSE: Class 12

Experimental Arrangement

Apparatus Used:

  • Evacuated glass/quartz tube.
  • Photosensitive metal plate C (emitter).
  • Collector plate A.
  • Quartz window W for incident radiation.
  • Monochromatic light source S.
  • A battery for applying a potential difference.
  • A voltmeter is used to measure the potential difference.
  • Microammeter to measure photocurrent.
  • Commutator or reversing arrangement to change polarity between plates.

Function of Main Parts

Part Function
Emitter plate C Emits electrons when light falls on it.
Collector plate A Collects emitted electrons and helps measure current.
Quartz window W Allows suitable radiation, especially ultraviolet, to enter the tube.
Battery Creates accelerating or retarding potential between plates.
Microammeter Detects the small current produced by photoelectrons.
CBSE: Class 12

Procedure

  1. Keep the emitter plate C illuminated by monochromatic radiation.
  2. Apply a potential difference between the emitter and the collector.
  3. Measure the resulting photocurrent using the microammeter.
  4. Change the collector potential and observe how current varies.
  5. Reverse the polarity to study the stopping of photoelectrons.
  6. Change light intensity and note the change in photocurrent.
  7. Change the light frequency using suitable filters and study the effect on emission and electron energy.
CBSE: Class 12

Main Observations

A. Effect of collector potential

  • When the collector is made positive with respect to the emitter, more emitted electrons are attracted to it, increasing the photocurrent.
  • At a sufficiently high positive potential, all emitted electrons are collected, and the current reaches its maximum; this is the saturation region.
  • When the collector is made negative, it repels electrons and photocurrent decreases.
  • At a certain negative potential, photocurrent becomes zero; this potential is the stopping potential.

B. Effect of the intensity of light

  • For frequencies above the threshold, the photocurrent increases with increasing incident light intensity.
  • Greater intensity means more photons per second reaching the metal surface, so more electrons are emitted.
  • Stopping potential does not increase just because intensity increases.

C. Effect of frequency of light

  • If the frequency of incident radiation is below the threshold frequency, no photoelectric emission occurs, however strong the light may be.
  • For frequencies above the threshold, photoelectrons are emitted.
  • As frequency increases, the maximum kinetic energy of emitted electrons increases, so the stopping potential increases.

D. Time lag of emission

  • Photoelectric emission is essentially instantaneous when suitable radiation falls on the metal surface.
  • This observation was one of the major difficulties for classical wave theory.
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