Month: August 2023
-
Quantum Mechanics vs. Newtonian Mechanics
Though quantum mechanics is a dynamical theory much like Newtonian mechanics, there are key differences between the two. In Newton’s mechanics, the state of a particle at t = 0 is specified by giving its initial position x (0) and velocity v (0) – only two numbers; Quantum mechanics demands an entire wavefunction ψ (x,…
-
Principal Quantum Number
Symbolized by the letter n, this number describes the shell that an electron resides in. An electron “shell” is a region of space around an atom’s nucleus that electrons are allowed to exist, corresponding to the stable “standing wave” patterns of de Broglie and Bohr. Electrons may “leap” from shell to shell, but cannot exist…
-
The Production of Nanoparticles through Pulsed Laser Techniques
Pulsed lasers can be used in the synthesis of nanoparticles of silver. Silver nitrate solution and a reducing agent are flowed through a blender like device. In the blender there is a solid disk, which rotates in the solution. The solid disk is subjected to pulses from a laser beam creating hot spots on the…
-
Yukawa Meson Theory of Nuclear Forces
In 1935 Yukawa proposed in his paper that there exist a meson field, that is, a field that is different from the electromagnetic field, whose quanta, the mesons have a finite mass, which is coupled to protons and neutrons in a manner analogous to the coupling of photons to charged particles. The exchange of these…
-
The Compton Effect
Compton Effect was a key experiment that provided the most direct evidence for the particle nature of radiation. Arthur Holly Compton, an American Physicist discovered that, radiation of a given wavelength (in the X-ray region) sent through a metallic foil was scattered in a manner not consistent with classical theory. As per classical theory, the…
-
How Nanoparticles are produced through Thermolysis
Nanoparticles can be produced by decomposing solids at high temperature having metal cations, and molecular anions or metal organic compounds. This procedure is termed to as Thermolysis. For instance, small lithium particles can be made by decomposing lithium azide, LiN3. The material is placed in an evacuated quartz tube and heated to 400°C in the…
-
How Light Was Classified as an Electromagnetic Wave
The theory of electromagnetism was developed by physicist James Clerk Maxwell. According to his theory, an alternating current would set up fluctuating electric and magnetic fields in the region surrounding the original disturbance. Furthermore, these waves were predicted to have a frequency equal to the frequency of the current oscillations. Moreover, Maxwell theory predicted that…
-
The Concept of Molecular and Supramolecular Switches in Computing
The lithographic methods used to make silicon chips for computers are approaching their limits in reducing the sizes of circuitry on chips. Nanosize architecture is becoming more cumbersome and more costly to make. This has motivated an effort to synthesize molecules, which display switching behaviour. This behaviour might form the basis for information storage and…
-
Einstein Contribution to Planck Formula on the Quantum Nature of Radiation
While the existence of the photoelectric effect can be understood within the framework of classical electromagnetic theory since it was known that there were electrons in metals and one could envisage them to be accelerated by absorption of radiation, the frequency-dependence of the effect is not comprehensible within that framework. The energy carried out by…