- #1
Jimmy87
- 686
- 17
I can't seem to find a definitive answer to my questions surrounding this topic, every textbook I read is rather vague. When Max Planck scratched the surface of quantum mechanics he introduced the idea of quantisation of energy in blackbodies. Could someone please explain how exactly a blackbody works using quantum mechanics. Is it that the electrons in the atoms in the walls (and interior) of the blackbody absorb specific photons then emit them? Does it mean that in order to emit a photon of a specific wavelength it needs to absorb a photon of the same wavelength. For example, does a blackbody need to absorb an ultraviolet photon in order to emit one?
The theory behind continuous spectra is also very vague and I can't find any detailed information anywhere. To produce a continuous spectra, do electrons in atoms still undergo energy levels changes? The answer I always get is that continuous spectra involves vibrating atoms at a macroscopic scale but surely there is a quantum explanation? At the subatomic level what specifically causes the spectra to be continuous rather than producing a line spectra.
Thanks
The theory behind continuous spectra is also very vague and I can't find any detailed information anywhere. To produce a continuous spectra, do electrons in atoms still undergo energy levels changes? The answer I always get is that continuous spectra involves vibrating atoms at a macroscopic scale but surely there is a quantum explanation? At the subatomic level what specifically causes the spectra to be continuous rather than producing a line spectra.
Thanks