Sections
Glossary
Glossary
- atomic spectra
- the electromagnetic emission from atoms and molecules
- binding energy
- also called the work function; the amount of energy necessary to eject an electron from a material
- blackbody
- an ideal radiator, which can radiate equally well at all wavelengths
- blackbody radiation
- the electromagnetic radiation from a blackbody
- bremsstrahlung
- German for braking radiation; produced when electrons are decelerated
- characteristic X-rays
- X-rays whose energy depends on the material they were produced in
- Compton effect
- the phenomenon whereby X-rays scattered from materials have decreased energy
- correspondence principle
- in the classical limit (large, slow-moving objects), quantum mechanics becomes the same as classical physics
- de Broglie wavelength
- the wavelength possessed by a particle of matter, calculated by
- gamma ray
- also ray; highest-energy photon in the EM spectrum
- Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle
- a fundamental limit to the precision with which pairs of quantities (momentum and position, and energy and time) can be measured
- infrared radiation
- photons with energies slightly less than red light
- ionizing radiation
- radiation that ionizes materials that absorb it
- microwaves
- photons with wavelengths on the order of a micron ()
- photoelectric effect
- the phenomenon whereby some materials eject electrons when light is shined on them
- photon
- a quantum, or particle, of electromagnetic radiation
- photon energy
- the amount of energy a photon has;
- photon momentum
- the amount of momentum a photon has, calculated by
- Planck’s constant
- probability distribution
- the overall spatial distribution of probabilities to find a particle at a given location
- quantized
- the fact that certain physical entities exist only with particular discrete values and not every conceivable value
- quantum mechanics
- the branch of physics that deals with small objects and with the quantization of various entities, especially energy
- ultraviolet radiation
- UV; ionizing photons slightly more energetic than violet light
- uncertainty in energy
- lack of precision or lack of knowledge of precise results in measurements of energy
- uncertainty in momentum
- lack of precision or lack of knowledge of precise results in measurements of momentum
- uncertainty in position
- lack of precision or lack of knowledge of precise results in measurements of position
- uncertainty in time
- lack of precision or lack of knowledge of precise results in measurements of time
- visible light
- the range of photon energies the human eye can detect
- X-ray
- EM photon between ray and UV in energy