Open AccessOn the effect of temperature on the anomalous reflection of silver
Publication year - 1925
Publication title -
proceedings of the royal society of london. series a, containing papers of a mathematical and physical character
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2053-9150
pISSN - 0950-1207
DOI - 10.1098/rspa.1925.0019
Subject(s) - electron , limiting , reflection (computer programming) , anomaly (physics) , resonance (particle physics) , free electron model , position (finance) , physics , atomic physics , light reflection , reflection coefficient , condensed matter physics , chemistry , optics , nuclear magnetic resonance , quantum mechanics , mechanical engineering , finance , computer science , engineering , economics , programming language
It has long been known that the reflection coefficient of silver, besides minishing steadily in the ultra-violet, shows a marked anomaly in the ighbourhood of wave-length 3,200 Å, sinking to a value of nearly zero, while either side of this point it amounts to about 50 per cent. The cause of is phenomenon is unknown, though from the classical electro-magnetic int of view it would naturally be regarded as some kind of "resonance" ect; that is to say, that the “free” electrons cannot, for some reason, brate with frequencies corresponding to this region; for the bound ctrons, though they could, if they were in resonance with frequency, increase e total reflection, could hardly decrease it, as actually occurs. If this is so, and if the restoring force on the vibrating electrons varies with e distance between them and the neighbouring atoms and electrons, it may expected that the limiting frequency on either side of this band will vary the metal contracts or expands. A change in the temperature of the silver ould then produce a corresponding shift in the position of the band of weak flection, and measurement of the amount of this shift may afford some ue to the nature and magnitude of the forces which act upon the “free” ectrons.