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Rahma Al-Farsy
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Why doesn't an electron which has been excited not keep the energy gained and stay in a higher quantum level? Why does it prefer to emit radiation and return to a lower energy level?
isolated atoms: I think they mean the quantum mechanical system of the atom where there is no term in the Hamiltonian to account for the coupling of the atom to the radiation (EM) field... pretty much "classical quantum mechanics" (I guess)Rahma Al-Farsy said:What do you mean by isolated atoms?
A system with only the atom in it... i.e. no possibility there is a state which consists of an atom and a photon.Rahma Al-Farsy said:What do you mean by isolated atoms?
Doesn't that just change the wording of the question to "how come there is a non-zero probablity of decay?"ChrisVer said:Well the transition from the excited state to the ground state has some probability to happen
Is key... the reason students may come to believe the lifetime of an excited atomic state is infinite is because they have usually been taught to work out the states by using a hamiltonian that does not include the coupling to the EM field. This is the level where students are taught that if a measurement of energy of the system gets you, say, the 1st excited state ... then all subsequent measurements of energy should return the 1st excited state (provided certain other things don't get measured in between energy measurements). So how does the QM learned so far allow that a subsequent measurement of energy may (eventually and inevitably will) get you the ground state?mfb said:Why should it stay in a higher level?
Energy excitation is the process by which an electron in an atom absorbs energy and moves to a higher energy state. This can happen through various means, such as light or heat, and results in the electron becoming "excited" and unstable.
When an electron is in an excited state, it is unstable and seeks to return to its lower energy state. In order to do so, it releases the excess energy it absorbed in the form of radiation, such as light or heat.
The amount of radiation emitted during energy excitation depends on the difference in energy levels between the excited and lower state, as well as the type of atom and the type of energy absorbed. For example, different elements emit different wavelengths of light when excited.
Understanding energy excitation and radiation emission is crucial in fields such as physics, chemistry, and astronomy. It allows scientists to explain phenomena such as the color of light emitted by stars, the behavior of atoms, and the effects of radiation on matter.
Yes, energy excitation and radiation emission can be controlled and manipulated through various methods, such as applying an external energy source or altering the atomic structure. This has practical applications in fields such as medical imaging, where radiation can be used to produce images of internal structures in the body.