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Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE

The classical electrodynamics approach to explain the photoelectric effect and the photoelectric emission

BingXin Gong

Published Jan 31, 2006• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

By re-analyzing the photoelectric effect, the limitations of Einstein's photon hypothesis are identified and the relation between the photoelectron's kinetic energy and the circular frequency of the incident light is reinterpreted using classical electrodynamics. And it is realized that photoelectric emission is dependent on the incident light's circular frequency ω and the photon density of the incident light.

DOI
10.1117/12.667466

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By re-analyzing the photoelectric effect, the limitations of Einstein's photon hypothesis are identified and the relation between the photoelectron's kinetic energy and the circular frequency of the incident light is reinterpreted using classical electrodynamics. And it is realized that photoelectric emission is dependent on the incident light's circular frequency ω and the photon density of the incident light.
Einstein explained the experimental characteristics of the photo-electric effect by the concept that the photon is a localized packet of electromagnetic radiation with the mechanism: photon + atom → emitted electron. A classical plane wave theory of light concluding that the photoelectric effect can be explained without localized photons is reexamined and found to have been flawed in predicting no time delay for photoelectron emission; this accords with Millikan's conclusion (based upon energy conservation) that a classical plane wave would entail a delay prior to emission of the order of hours. The quantification of Einstein's localized packet concept as a solitary wave one wavelength in length (one period long in time) predicts a delay of one period of the photon's oscillating field, which accords with the experimentally measured response time being a few femtoseconds.
According to an entropy approach and by reviewing the similarity between laws characterizing the flow of heat and electric charges, electric charges were defined as electromagnetic waves that possess an electrical potential or simply as ionized photons. Accordingly, the flow of electrons was defined as a simultaneous flow of particulate energy and wave energy. Such definitions led to clear the confusions of duality properties of electrons and light waves, conflicts in the SI system of units and to explain the difference between the calculated drift speed of electrons and the speed of electricity or charges in conductors. However, Einstein considered the electron to be a negative charge of unknown nature during his analysis of the photoelectric effect. Einstein presented his hypothesis that light may behave as a particle to find a plausible explanation of the photoelectric effect. He found the measured cutoff frequency of light below which light might not eject electrons from metal-surfaces in photocells regardless of how much light is shone on the surface as a proof of truth of his hypothesis. Such frequency may be explained also, according to the previously introduced definitions, as the minimum energy quanta that may gain a quantized potential in photocells. This explanation may find plausible explanations of the found measurements of the photoelectric effects for different metal surfaces, stopping voltages into photocells and the photoelectric effect of X-rays. Einstein’s hypothesis of the photoelectric effect failed to find plausible explanations of such measurement results. According to the principles of conservation of momentum, there is a minimum quantity of photons that may lead to bouncing an atomic electron out of its orbit. So, considering Einstein’s theory as a perfect hypothesis that explains the photoelectric effect may be a misconception.
Abstract Photoelectric effect has been recognized as the direct evidence of light quantum and has been accepted and recognized by mainstream scholars. However, after careful study, I found that there are three insurmountable obstacles to explain the photoelectric effect by light quantum: the red limit is only related to the material properties and has nothing to do with the intensity of illumination, the angle between the direction of photoelectron movement and the direction of light illumination can be greater than 90 degrees, and the number of photoelectrons does not increase but decreases with the increase of the frequency of illumination when the frequency of illumination is high to a certain extent. Only when the photoelectric effect is explained in terms of the synchrotron effect can these three obstacles be avoided and all the problems related to the photoelectric effect be satisfactorily explained. At the same time, the experimental scheme of verifying the photoelectric effect as the synchronous acceleration of electromagnetic field is put forward.
Startling findings concerning the Planck‟s quantum equation, E = hv, have been brought to light in this work. It has been conclusively proven that the conceptual correctness of this quantum equation cannot be justified by any physical reasoning, and that there have emerged a newly formulated but promising quantum equation, P = bv, which relates the power „P‟ of a quantum oscillator, such as a photon, with its frequency „v‟ (where ‘b’is the elementary quantum of energy observable in nature), to be the right kind of quantum equation. Since the core concept in the Einstein‟s theory of the photoelectric effect is critically dependent on the correctness of the Planck‟s quantum equation, bringing about an appropriate modification in the Einstein‟s derivation of the photoelectric effect has been deemed essential. Reformulation of the Einstein‟s photoelectric equation has been carried out in this work taking into consideration the newly emerged quantum perspective as well as the concept of energy-power dichotomy that photons and photoelectrons do exhibit. Thus, the Einstein‟s photoelectric equation expressed in all energy terms, Ee = hv h v0, is get converted into all power terms, Pe = bv bv0. This modified form of the Einstein‟s photoelectric equation has been found to be capable of providing satisfactory explanation to all the salient features the photoelectric effect exhibits.
The critical and correct scientific analysis of the generally accepted theory of the external photoelectric effect is proposed. The methodological basis for the analysis is the unity of formal logic and of rational dialectics. It is shown that Einstein’s formulation of the law of the photoelectric effect is not free from the following objection. The terms of Einstein’s formula characterize the quantitative determinacy (i.e., energy) which belongs and is related to the different material objects: “photon”, “electron in metal”, and “electron not in metal”. This signifies that Einstein’s formula represents violation of the formal-logical laws of identity and absence (lack) of contradiction. The correct mathematical formulation of the law of the external photoelectric effect within the framework of the system approach is proposed. The correct formulation represents the proportion by relative increments of the energy of the incident photon and the energy of the emitted electron. The proportion describes the linear relationship between the energy of the incident photon and the energy of the emitted electron.