W ORLD OF P HYSICS IV - Q UANTUM P HYSICS

Sourabh Dube

Assignment 1: due on February 6, 2015

The assignment is meant to be finished individually, without discussion with your colleagues. You
are allowed to refer to any textbooks/notes that you need. Partial marks will be given for showing
partial work (In other words, show all your work to get the full marks). Some information that
might prove useful in solving the assignment is given here:
Speed of light in vacuum, c = 3 108 m/s.
Mass of an electron, me = 9.1 1031 kg.
1 eV = 1.6 1019 J.
Plancks constant h = 6.63 1034 Js.
Some standard integrals are

R n1 x
x
e dx

= (n), where (n) = (n 1)! and ( 21 ) =

(cos ax + sin ax) ebx dx =

a+b
a2 +b2

2 au
du = (1/2a) /a
u e

eau du =

/a

1. (20 Marks) When two ultraviolet beams of wavelengths 1 = 80 nm and 2 = 110 nm fall
on a lead surface, they produce photoelectrons with maximum energies 11.390 eV, and 7.154
eV, respectively.
(a) (6 marks) Estimate the numerical value of the Planck constant in Joule-sec. How well
does it agree with the value given at the top of this question paper?
(b) (10 marks) Calculate the work function and the cutoff frequency of lead.
(c) (4 marks) In one or two sentences, explain why no electrons are emitted if light with
frequency less than the cutoff frequency hits the lead surface.
2. (15 Marks) The wave function of a particle is given by
(~x, t) = Ae|x| eit
where A, , and are positive and real numbers.
(a) (5 Marks) Normalize the wavefunction (~x, t).
(b) (10 Marks) Determine hxi and hx2 i.

3. (15 marks)The wave function of a particle at time t = 0 is given by

(x, 0) =

if 0 x 2

Ae

if 2 x 5
otherwise

2x

where A is a constant.
(a) (5 marks) Sketch the wave function (x, 0).
(b) (5 marks) Determine A such that is normalized.
(c) (5 marks) Calculate the probability of finding the particle to the left of 3.
4. (30 Marks) We saw during the tutorial that once we normalize a wave function, it remains
normalized i.e
d Z
|(~x, t)|2 dx = 0
dt
This assumed that V (x) was real. Now if V (x) = V0 i, then this represents the cases
where the particle decays. Work out an expression for the probability as a function of time,
and thus the expression for the lifetime of the particle (in terms of V0 and/or ).
5. (20 Marks)
(a) (6 Marks) Usain Bolts personal best at the 100m is 9.58s according to wikipedia. If
the cameraman in charge of photo-finishes blames quantum effects for failing to track
Usain, would you concur? Why?
(b) (6 Marks) Consider protons in a nucleus at rest. Can the protons be at rest? If not,
estimate their velocity.
(c) (6 Marks) In a strange quantum land, the value of Plancks constant is h = 6.63 104
Js. In this land, watermelons with a very hard shell are grown. What happens to the
seeds whenever a watermelon is cut in this land? (Assume all other physics remains
the same as our universe, and that the seeds have a mass of 0.1g)
(d) (2 Marks) If a cameraman in the strange quantum land makes a claim like in the first
part of the question, would you concur this time?

Sourabh Dube - PHY202