AQA · A level Physics

Chandra sources: photon energy, intensity and ionisation challenge

Can you get 100% on the photon physics behind Chandra's unusual sources? Compare X-rays, apply a supplied ionisation energy and explain why brighter light is not always more energetic per photon.

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Question

8 marks

Answer all parts. The photon energies used below are a simplified teaching example, not measurements of a particular Chandra source.

1(a)

A telescope detects X-rays in a lower-frequency band and a higher-frequency band. Both travel through a vacuum. Compare the energy per photon and the wavelength in the lower-frequency band with those in the higher-frequency band. Explain each comparison using a relevant relationship.

[2 marks]

1(b)

An isolated hydrogen atom is initially in its ground state. Removing its electron requires . It absorbs one ultraviolet photon with energy . Explain why ionisation is possible. Calculate the kinetic energy of the released electron in eV, ignoring recoil of the remaining ion. State the charge left on that ion.

[3 marks]

1(c)

A different ultraviolet beam has photons of energy . It passes through a dilute gas of hydrogen atoms initially in their ground state. The beam's intensity is increased while its frequency stays the same. A pupil says that the extra intensity will let a single photon ionise a ground-state hydrogen atom. Explain why this is wrong. Consider only single-photon absorption. Ignore heating, collisions, prior excitation and multiphoton processes.

[3 marks]

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