PHYS2265 Modern Physics/ PHYS2627 Introductory Quantum Physics 2013/14 Conceptual Questions 3

1. Electron 1 is accelerated from rest through a potential dierence of 100 V. Electron 2 is accelerated from rest through a potential dierence of 200 V. Afterward, which electron has a larger de Broglie wavelength? Explain. Answer: Electron 1 has a larger de Broglie wavelength. Note that a particle has speed v = 2K/m and de Broglie wavelength = h/(mv ) if its kinetic energy is K . Given: K1 = 100 eV and K2 = 200 eV. v1 < v2 1 > 2 2. All other things being equal, which would be more likely to exhibit its wave nature a proton or an electron and why? By making something unequal, how could you compensate so as to make one as wavelike as the other? Answer: An electron is more likely to be wavelike. For equal speeds, its momentum p is smaller by a factor of about 2000 (the ratio of proton to electron mass), so its de Broglie wavelength = h/p is longer. To give the proton a wavelength as long as the electrons, we would have to slow the proton to a speed about 1/2000 that of the electron. 3. Double-slit interference of neutrons occurs because: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) The neutrons passing through the two slits repel each other. Neutrons collide with each other behind the slits. Neutrons collide with the edges of the slits. Each neutron goes through both slits. The energy of the neutrons is quantized. Only certain wavelengths of the neutrons t through the slits.

Which of these (perhaps more than one) statements are correct? Explain your answer. Answer: Only (iv) is correct. With a weak neutron beam so that each time only one neutron is sent through the apparatus, we would still observe the interference pattern.

4. Why it is not reasonable to do crystallographic studies with protons? Answer: At typical laboratory energies, a protons de Broglie wavelength is of order 1012 m. It is much smaller than the spacings of the planes of atoms in common crystals (like the slits in a grating) which is in order of 1010 m. So the wave nature of protons would not be evident in the diraction by a crystal. We cannot observe an interference pattern to get any information about the structure of the crystal. 5. Below gure is the plot of angular frequency (k ) versus wave number k for a particular wave phenomenon. How do the phase and group velocities compare, and does the answer depend on the value of k under consideration? Explain your answer.

Answer: For small (average) values of k , the slope of the curve, or tangent line, d/dk is small and the slope of a line from the origin, /k is comparatively large. That is, the group velocity is smaller than the phase velocity. When the (average) value of k is large, these two quantities are equal, and so are the phase and group velocities. 6. The location of a particle is measured and specied as being exactly at x = 0, with zero uncertainty in the x direction. How does this aect the uncertainty vy of its velocity component in the y direction? (i) It does not aect vy . (ii) It makes vy innite. (iii) It makes vy zero. Answer: (i) is the correct answer. Heisenbergs uncertainty principle relates uncertainty in position and velocity along the same axis. The zero uncertainty in position along the x axis results in innite uncertainty in its velocity component in the x direction, but it is unrelated to that in the y direction.

7. An electron and a proton are both conned in boxes of length a. Measurements are made on the momentum of both particles. Which statement is true about the precision of these measurements? (i) The electrons momentum can be measured more precisely than the protons momentum. (ii) The protons momentum can be measured more precisely than the electrons momentum. (iii) The electrons momentum can be measured only as precisely as the protons momentum. Answer: (iii) is the correct answer. The electron and proton have the same uncertainty in position. According to Heisenbergs uncertainty principle, they must have the same uncertainty in momentum. 8. What diculties does Heisenbergs uncertainty principle cause in trying to pick up an electron with a pair of forceps? Answer: When the electron is picked up by the forceps, the position of the electron is localized (or xed), i. e. x = 0. Accroding to Heisenbergs uncertainty principle, the momentum of the electron must be highly uncertain in such case. In eect, a large p means the electron is shaking furiously against the forceps tips that tries to hold the electron tightly. 9. A low-intensity beam of light is sent toward a narrow single slit. On the far side, individual ashes are seen sporadically at detectors over a broad area that is orders of magnitude wider than the slit width. What aspects of this experiment suggest a wave nature for light, and what aspect suggest a particle nature? Answer: The ashes are experiments in which the light is behaving as particles. Besides, the fact that they are detected at a very wide angle after passing through the slit is a manifestation of a wave behavior: diraction. 10. A single electron with de Broglie wavelength passes through a slit of width d = 2. The electron can then strike a uorescent screen. What will be observed on the screen? (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) A diraction pattern. A single ash as if the electron has moved in a straight line through the slit. A single ash that occurs randomly at anywhere on the screen. A single ash that would most likely occur where a corresponding diraction pattern would have the highest intensity. 3

Answer: (iv) is the correct answer. Since the electron has de Broglie wavelength comparable with the width of the slit, we cannot neglect the quantum behavior of the electron. Although the electron is detected as particle at a localized spot at some instant of time, the probability of arrival at that spot is determined by nding the intensity of the diracted matter wave. 11. A monenergetic beam of electrons is incident on two slits whose dimensions and spacing are of the same order as of magnitude as the de Broglie wavelength of the electrons as shown in the following gure. Draw the pattern of electrons recorded on the screen for the following cases: (a) The classical prediction for both slits open. (b) The observed pattern for both slits open. (c) The observed pattern for only slit A or B open.

Answer:

PHYS2265 Modern Physics/ PHYS2627 Introductory Quantum Physics 2013/14 Worked Example 3
1. Show that the de Broglie wavelength of a particle is approximately the same as that of a photon with the same energy when the energy of the particle is much greater than its rest energy. Solution: If the particle has momentum p and energy E much much greater than its rest energy E0 , i. e. E E0 , then we have
2 E 2 = p2 c2 + E0

p=

E c

2 E0 E 2 E c

So the de Broglie wavelength of the particle is given by: = A photon of wavelength has energy E = hf = Therefore, if E = E , = hc E hc h hc p E

2. (a) A particle is thermal if it is in equilibrium with its surroundings its average kinetic energy would be K = 3kB T /2 where T is its temperature. Show that the wavelength of a thermal particle is given by = h 3mkB T

(b) Use the result of part (a), nd the wavelength of a room-temperature (at temperature T = 22 C ) electron. Solution: (a) The average kinetic energy of a thermal particle of momentum p is 3 p2 K = kB T = 2 2m

Putting the de Broglie wavelength = h/p into the above equation, we have: 3 (h/2 ) kB T = 2 2m h = 3mkB T (b) Using the result of part (a), we can nd the wavelength of the electron = 6.626 1034 J s 3(9.109 1031 kg)(1.381 1023 J/K)(295 K) = 6.28 109 m

3. The neutron interference pattern in the below gure was made by shooting neutrons with a speed of v = 200 m/s through two slits spaced d = 0.10 mm apart. (a) What was the kinetic energy of the neutrons in eV? (b) What was the de Broglie wavelength of the neutrons? (c) The pattern was recorded by using a neutron detector to measure the neutron density at dierent positions. By making appropriate measurements directly on the gure, determine how far the detector was behind the slits.

Solution: (a) A neutron has mass mN = 1.675 1027 kg. The kinetic energy of each neutron passing through the slits is equal to 1 1 K = mN v 2 = (1.675 1027 kg)(200 m/s)2 = 3.35 1023 J 2 2 (b) The de Broglie wavelength at this speed is = h (6.626 1034 J s) = = 1.98 109 m 27 mN v (1.675 10 kg)(200 m/s)

(c) As shown in the below gure, the fringe spacing in a double-slit interference experiment is y = L/d where L is the distance from the slits to the detector.

From the given gure, we can see that the spacing between the two peaks for orders m = 1 (on either side of the central maximum) is 1.4 times of the length of the reference bar, which gives y = 7105 m. Thus the distance from the slits to the detector is given by L= (1.0 104 m)(7.0 105 m) dy = = 3.54 m (1.98 109 m)

4. A narrow beam of electrons of kinetic energy K = 60 keV passes through a thin silver polycrystalline foil. The inter-atomic spacing of silver crystals is d = 4.08 A (1 A = 1 10 10 mm). Calculate the radius of the rst-order diraction pattern from the principal Bragg planes on a screen placed L = 40 cm behind the foil. Solution: Below gure shows how the diraction occurs in the silver polycrystalline foil.

Each of the electrons has rest energy E0 = 0.511 MeV and momentum p= 1 c
2 = E 2 E0

1 c

2 (K + E0 )2 E0

So its de Broglie wavelength is equal to = h = p hc (K + E0 )2

(1240 eV nm) [(60 + 511)2 5112 ] 103 eV

= 0.00487 nm

The angle corresponding to the rst-order Bragg reection is = sin1 2d = sin1 (0.00487 nm) = 0.342 2(0.408 nm)

Thus the radius of the rst-order diraction pattern (see the gure) is given by R = L tan 2 = (40 102 m) tan(2 0.342 ) = 4.77 104 m 5. For wavelengths less than about 1 cm, the dispersion relation the relationship between angular frequency and wave number k for waves moving on a water surface is = 3 k ,

where and are the surface tension and density of water. Given that = 0.072 N/m and = 103 kg/m3 , calculate the phase and group velocities for a wave of wavelength = 5 mm. Solution: The water wave has wave number k= 2 2 = = 1.257 103 m1 . 5 103 m

From the given relation, we can nd the phase velocity vp and the group velocity vg : vp = vg = = k (/)k 3 = k 3 k = 3 2 k= (0.072 N/m) 3 1 3 (1.257 10 m ) = 0.301 m/s 3 (10 kg/m ) (0.072 N/m) (1.257 103 m1 ) = 0.451 m/s (103 kg/m3 )

d d = dk dk

3 k= 2

6. A stone tossed into a body of water creates a disturbance at the point of impact that lasts for t = 4.0 s. Measurements indicates that the wave speed is v = 25 cm/s. (a) Over what distance on the surface of water does the wave group extend? (b) An observer counts 12 wave crests in the group. Estimate the precision with which the wavelength can be determined. 4

Solution: (a) The disturbance lasts for t = 4.0 s at the point of impact. So the wave group extends on the water surface for a distance of x = v t = (25 cm/s)(4.0 s) = 100 cm. (b) Since the wave group consists of 12 wave crests, the period of the wave T = t/12. So the wavelength is = vT = v t 12 = (25 cm/s) 4.0 s 12 = 25 cm. 3

Using the classical uncertainty relationship xk 1/2, we can estimate the value of k : 1 1 k = = 0.005 cm1 . 2x 2(100 cm) Since k = 2/, the uncertainty in is given by: k = = 2 2

2 [(25/3) cm]2 k = (0.005 cm1 ) = 0.0553 cm 2 2

It is the precision with which the wavelength can be determined. 7. Heisenbergs uncertainty relationship for the position and momentum is xpx 2 .

Use it to show that for a particle moving in a circle, L 2

where L and denote the uncertainty in the angular momentum and angular position of the particle, respectively. Solution: Since the particle moves in a circle, lets apply the uncertainty principle to the direction tangential to the circle. Then we obtain sps 2 .

where s is measured along the circumference of the circle and ps is the tangential component of its momentum. 5

If the particle has mass m, its angular momentum is related to its linear momentum by L = mvR = ps R L ps = R Besides, the angular displacement is related to the arc length by = s/R which implies s = R. Hence, sps = L R (R) = L 2

For a state of xed angular momentum (e. g. an electron in a Bohr orbit, which will be discussed in Chapter 7), the uncertainty in the angular momentum is zero (i. e. L = 0). Therefore, the uncertainty in the angular position, , is innite, so that the position of the particle in the orbit cannot be determined. 8. A meson and a proton can briey join together to form a particle. A measurement of the energy of the -p system shows a peak of the reaction probability at 1236 MeV, corresponding to the rest energy of the particle, with an experimental spread of 120 MeV. What is the lifetime of the particle? Solution: The given information tells us that the uncertainty in the measured energy is E = 120 MeV. Using the Heisenberg uncertainty relationship for the energy and time, we can nd the uncertainty in time t: E t t = 2

2E

(1.055 1034 J s) = 2.74 1024 s 2(120 MeV)(1.602 1013 J/MeV

The lifetime of the particle is taken as the uncertainty in time t = 2.74 1024 s. 9. The position of a particle of momentum p is measured by passing it through a slit of width d. Estimate the corresponding uncertainty induced in the particles momentum based on the given information. Compare the result with Heisenberg uncertaintys principle. Solution: When monochromatic waves of wavelength pass through a slit of width d, a diraction pattern will be produced on a screen as shown in the following gure. According to the diraction theory, the angle corresponding to the rst point of zero intensity equals sin = 6 . d

Due to its associated de Broglie wave, whose wavelength is = h/p, the particle will be diracted as it passes through the slit and hence will acquire some unknown momentum in the x-direction. Although we dont know exactly where the particle will strike the screen, the most probable place for it to hit will be somewhere within the central region of the diraction pattern. Therefore we can be reasonably certain that the x-component of the particles momentum has a magnitude between 0 and p sin , i. e. px p sin = p h/ d = h d

This uncertainty can be made as small as desired by increasing d. However, since d = x, the uncertainty in the particles x-position, we nd that xpx h 2

which is consistent with Heisenbergs uncertainty principle. 10. A woman on a ladder drops small pellets toward a spot on the oor. (a) Show that, according to Heisenbergs uncertainty principle, the miss distance must be at least 1/2 1/4 2 2H xmin = m g where H is the initial height of each pellet above the oor and m is the mass of each pellet. (b) If H = 2.0 m and m = 0.50 kg, what will be the uncertainty x? Solution: (a) The woman tries to hold a pellet directly above the spot on the oor within some horizontal region xi . Heisenbergs uncertainty principle requires her to give a 7

pellet some x velocity at least as large as vx = 2mxi

As shown in the above gure, the pellet would hit the oor at time t given by: 1 H = gt2 2 So the miss distance is given by x = xi + vx t = xi + 2H . g t= 2H g

2mxi

The minimum value of the function x occurs for d(x) =0 d(xi ) 1 2m(xi 2m )2
1/2

2H =0 g 2H g
1/4

xi =

Plugging it back into the equation for x, we obtain the minimum miss distance xmin = 2 m
1/2

2H g

1/4

(b) Putting H = 2.0 m and m = 0.50 kg into the equation found in part (a) yields xmin 2(1.055 1034 J s) = (0.50 kg) 8
1/2

2(2.0 m) (9.807 m/s2 )

1/4

= 1.64 1017 m.

11. Electromagnetic waves strike a single slit of width a = 1 m (1 m = 1 106 m). (a) Determine the angular full width (angle from the rst minimum on one side of the center to the rst minimum on the other) in degrees of the central diraction maximum if the waves are (i) visible light of wavelength 500 nm and (ii) X-rays of wavelength 0.05 nm. (b) Which case in part (a) more clearly demonstrates a wave nature? Solution: (a) The rst diraction minimum occurs when a sin = = sin1 a The angle from the rst minimum on one side to the rst minimum on the other side is thus: = 2 sin1 a (i) For visible light of wavelength 500 nm, the angular full width is: = 2 sin1 a = 2 sin1 500 109 m 1 106 m = 60

(ii) For X-rays of wavelength 0.05 nm, the angular full width is: = 2 sin1 a = 2 sin1 0.05 109 m 1 106 m = 0.00573

(b) Diraction, which is a wave phenomenon, is more pronounced for the long wavelength: the visible light. A particle nature (moving in a straight line, not diracting) is more evident when the wavelength is very small compared to dimensions of the apparatus, i. e. X-ray a. 12. In a double slit interference experiment with electrons, you nd the most intense fringe to be at x = 7.0 cm. There are slightly weaker fringes at x = 6.0 and 8.0 cm, still weaker fringes at x = 4.0 and 10.0 cm, and two very weak fringes at x = 1.0 and 13.0 cm. No electrons are detected at x < 0 cm or x > 14 cm. (a) Sketch a graph of the probability density | (x)|2 for these electrons. (b) Sketch a possible graph of the wave function (x). (c) Are there other possible graphs for (x)? If so, draw one. Solution: (a) We assume that | (x)|2 = 0 at some point in between each of the peaks. The following is the graph of | (x)|2 . 9

(b) Two factors are important for drawing (x). First, the value at each point is the square root of the value on the | (x)|2 graph. Second, and especially important, is that the wave function (x) oscillates between positive and negative values each time | (x)|2 reaches zero. Below is a possible graph of (x).

(c) Multiplying (x) by 1 does not change | (x)|2 . So another possible graph for (x) is the upside down version of the graph in part (b), i. e.

13. Electrons are accelerated through a potential dierence, producing a monoenergetic beam. This is directed at a double slit apparatus of d = 0.010 mm slit separation. A bank of electron detectors is 10 m beyond the double slit. With slit 1 alone open, 100 electrons per second are detected at all detectors. With slit 2 alone open, 900 electrons per second are detected at all detectors. Now both slits are open. (a) How many electrons per second will be detected at the central detector? (b) How many electrons per second will be detected at the detector X where the rst minimum occurs?

10

Solution: (a) With slit 1 or 2 alone open, the probability of an electron reaching the screen is P1 |1 |2 or P2 |2 |2 . Its given that P2 N2 = = P1 N1 |2 | = |1 | 900 =9 100 P2 =3 P1

where N1 and N2 are the number of electron reaching the screen with slit 1 or 2 alone open. With both slits open, the probability of an electron reaching the screen is P |1 + 2 |2 . Constructive interference occurs when the wave functions are in phase. So the probability for an electron reaching a maximum is equal to Pmax (|1 | + |2 |)2 Hence, the number of electron reaching the central detector (i. e. a maximum), Nmax , is given by Pmax (|1 | + |2 |)2 Nmax = = N1 P1 |1 |2 Nmax = N1 (|1 | + |2 |)2 |2 | = N1 1 + 2 |1 | |1 |
2

= (100)(1 + 3)2 = 1600

(b) Destructive interference occurs when the wave functions are exactly out of phase. So the probability for an electron reaching a minimum is equal to: Pmin (|1 | |2 |)2 Hence, the number of electron reaching the detector X (i. e. a minimum), Nmin , is given by: Nmin Pmin (|1 | |2 |)2 = = N1 P1 |1 |2 Nmin = N1 (|1 | |2 |)2 |2 | = N 1 2 |1 |2 |1 |
2

= (100)(1 3)2 = 400

11