Quantum Mechanics Flashcards
What is a blackbody?
A blackbody is a material that converts heat to light
How does a blackbody emit radiation?
It absorbs heat and keeps it in a cavity until it reaches thermal equilibrium, then releases it as radiation through a pinhole
How is the energy density of blackbody radiation affected by temperature (energy)?
Higher energy = higher energy density
Temperature increase causes the maxima to shift to a shorter wavelength
Wien’s Law
ρ=C1/λ^5 ×1/e^(C2/λT)
Good at short wavelengths
Not good at long wavelengths
Wien’s Law assumptions
Makes assumptions about absorption and emission of electromagnetic radiation
Rayleigh-Jean theory
Treat electromagnetic field as a lot of oscillators
Calculate number with each energy
Predict’s a curve proportional to λ^-4
Rayleigh-Jean’s Law
ρ=8πkT/λ^4
Good at long wavelengths
Terrible at short wavelengths (ultraviolet catastrophe)
Ultraviolet catastrophe
Emission increases to ∞ at zero λ
High energies emitted strongly even at low T (literally everything glows in the dark - darkness doesn’t exist)
All bodies lose all energy fast
Planck Distribution
ρ=C1/λ^5 ×1/(e^(C2/λT) - 1)
A perfect fit to all λ
Quantum assumptions in the Planck Distribution
Walls of the blackbody contain harmonic oscillators with a frequency υ
Energy of each oscillator is quantised
E=nhυ n = 0, 1, 2, …
Oscillators can emit or absorb energy only in discrete amounts
ΔE=hυ
C1=8πch
C2=ch/kB
Planck’s Distribution with quantum assumptions
ρ=8πch/λ^5 × 1/(e^(ch/λkBT) - 1)
Photoelectric effect
The emission of electrons when light is shone onto specific materials
Wave-Particle Duality
Light can act as waves and as particles
Particles can also act as waves
Einstein’s theory about quantisation of light
Light consists of particles with energies (photons):
E=hυ
Light energy comes in discrete bundles (quanta):
E∝υ
De Broglie’s theory about wave-particle duality
Particles can behave as if they’re waves
λ=h/P
Proven through electron diffraction
Issues with
Can’t think of a small object (electron) in terms of trajectory (position and movement) - you have to think of the probability of an object being in a particular place (wavefunctions)
Translational energy of bodies
E = 1/2mv^2 + V
or
E=p^2/2m + V
Kinetic energy
The energy that the particle will possess as a result of momentum
Potential energy
The energy a particle possesses as a result of position
What do you need to exactly predict the trajectory
Starting position
Momentum
Potential
Force
Rate of change of momentum
F = dp/dt
Newtonian Mechanics
To predict trajectory you need to know the starting position, momentum, and potential
Any position and momentum (or energy) are possible
Depends on how long the force is applied for
Hooke’s Law
F=-kx
Frequency of an elastic band
Frequency is independent of energy
Frequency depends on structure
All vibrational energies are possible
Do classical mechanics apply to small objects
No
How does light work?
Energy transfer
How does reflection work?
Light reflects off of an object an interacts with the eye
What is a wavefunction?
A mathematical function that describes where an electron will most likely be at a point in time (its probability distribution)
Quantum Postulate 1
In one dimension, Ψ is a function of x Ψ(x)
What can be deduced from postulate 1?
Wavefunctions contain all dynamical information about a system
A wavefunction value has no physical meaning and yet Ψ contains all info that can be known about a system
Can get information by manipulating Ψ to provide real values relating to physical properties like:
- Energy
- Position
- Momentum
How is postulate 1 determined?
Schrodinger’s equation
Born Interpretation
Knowing that wavefunction has a particular value Ψ at a point in space r
The probability of finding an electron in a small volume (atom) is proportional to |Ψ|^2dτ
What is probability density?
|Ψ|^2 - square modulus of the wavefunction
An acceptable wavefunction must be:
- Continuous
- Single-valued (you can’t have multiple probabilities)
- Have a continuous first derivative
- Able to square integrate (can’t be infinite)
What is an operator?
Something you do to a function, e.g. Ĥ. You can use operators to pull info from Ψ to represent a real value.
Different operators represent different properties:
- One for energy
- One for momentum
- One for position
- Etc.
What are observables?
Made up of operators:
position operator x^ and momentum operator px^ in the x-direction of a particle moving in 1 dimension
x^ = x * something - usually Ψ
px^ = ħ/i