Modern Physics Lab Report
Experiment No. 1
Aim: To determine the wavelength of the H-alpha emission line of
Hydrogen atoms. Also, determine the value of Rydberg’s constant.
Apparatus Required: A hydrogen gas discharge tube, a spectrometer,
a plane transmission grating, spirit level, magnifying glass and an electric
lamp.
Theory and Working Formula:
HYDROGEN ATOM
According to the Rutherford-Bohr model, hydrogen atom consists of a
singly charged positive nucleus and one electron rotating around it. To a
first approximation, it can be assumed that the electron moves along the
trajectory which is a circle with a fixed nucleus at its center. According to
the laws of classical electrodynamics, any accelerated motion of a charged
body (including the electron) must be accompanied by the emission of
electromagnetic waves. In the model under consideration, the electron
moves under tremendous centripetal acceleration, and therefore it should
continuously emit light. Should it do so, its energy would gradually
decrease and the electron would come closer and closer to the nucleus.
Finally, the electron would unite with the nucleus ("fall" on it). Nothing of
this kind occurs in reality, and atoms do not emit light in their unexcited
state. In order to explain this fact, Bohr formulated three postulates.
BOHR'S POSTULATES
The emission of spectral lines has been explained on the basis of Bohr's
theory which is based on three postulates:
(i) The electron can move only in those orbits for which the angular
momentum of the electron is an integral multiple of h2π\frac{h}{2π}, h
being the Planck's constant.
Thus mvr = (nh)/(2π) , n=1,2,3,...
(ii) Although the electron has an acceleration towards the center of the
orbit, yet it does not radiate any energy. Such orbits of the electron are
known as stationary orbits.
(iii) When the atom absorbs energy from outside, it gets excited and the
electron goes from an inner orbit of lower energy En1E_{n1} to an outer
orbit of higher energy En2E_{n2}. The excited state of the atom is a
transient one, and hence the electron jumps back to the inner orbit,
emitting an electromagnetic radiation of frequency given by the relation
hv = E_{n2} - E_{n1}. This radiation appears as a spectral line in the
spectrum of the atom.
For Determination of wavelength:
where, n is the order of diffraction
λ, is the wavelength of the spectral line
(a + b) is the grating element
Θn is the angle of diffraction for the nth order.
For Determination of Rydberg’s constant:
where, ni= 3 is the energy level of the excited state corresponding to Hα,
lines.
nf = 2 is the energy level of the ground state corresponding to H lines in
the spectrum.
λ is the wavelength of the spectral line
R is the Rydberg’s constant whose standard value is known to be 1.097 ×
107 m-1.
Procedure:
1. 1.Focus the eyepiece on cross-wires and focus the telescope and
collimator for parallel light as discussed in chapter 12. Level the
table with a spirit level. Do all the adjustments with sodium light.
2. Replace the sodium light by hydrogen discharge lamp. Place the
grating perpendicular to the light coming from the collimator. The
light should fall on the back of the grating, i.e., on the side not
having the rulings.
3. See the direct image of the slit. Turn the telescope to left till the first
order spectrum is obtained. Coincide the vertical cross-wire with the
centre of the Hα line. Note down the readings of the scale on both
the verniers. Move the telescope to the right and get the 1st order
spectrum again. Coincide the vertical cross-wire with the centre of
the Hα line. Note down again the readings of the scale on both the
verniers. The difference of the readings gives 2θ for Hα line
4. Similarly, note the readings of the verniers by setting the cross-wire
on the other lines* as well.
5. Repeat the observations for the lines in the second order spectrum.
Observations:
Least Count of the Main Scale of the Spectrometer =
Least Count of the Vernier Scale of the Spectrometer =
Number of lines on the grating, N =
Grating Constant, (a+b) =
Order of Vernier Left Right 2θ θ Mean
Spectrum Reading Reading
1st V1
V2
2nd V1
V2
Calculations and Error Estimation:
Results:
Precautions and Sources of Error:
1. All adjustments of the spectrometer must be correctly done.
2. The rulings of the grating must be vertical.
3. The light must be incident on the unruled side of the grating.
Otherwise, refraction occurs at the thick glass plate after diffraction,
and the angle measured will not correspond to that of diffraction
alone.
4. The grating should always be handled by the edges, and the faces
should not be touched with the hand.
5. The slit should be as narrow as permissible and parallel to the
rulings of the grating.
6. While taking readings of the telescope, the turn-table should be
clamped and vice versa.
7. Readings should be taken in both the verniers to eliminate the error
due to non-coincidence of the center of the graduated scale with the
axis of rotation of the spectrometer.
8. Light should be incident normally on the grating surface. Otherwise,
the angle of incidence would not be zero, which is a condition for
the derivation of the formula (a+b)sinθ=nλ. Further, a small change
in the angle of incidence causes a large error in the angle of
diffraction.
9. Apart from the experimental errors, the grating itself may have the
following errors:
(a) Error due to curvature and non-parallelism of the rulings.
(b) The error due to variation of the rulings.
(c) The error of spacing.
Discussion:
