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Enhanced probability for the photoelectric effect in a Faraday cage
Author(s) -
Avery John S.
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
international journal of quantum chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.484
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1097-461X
pISSN - 0020-7608
DOI - 10.1002/qua.560090307
Subject(s) - faraday cage , photoelectric effect , physics , cage , photoionization , symmetry (geometry) , quantum , quantum mechanics , atomic physics , classical mechanics , quantum electrodynamics , ion , ionization , geometry , magnetic field , mathematics , combinatorics
The cross section for the photoelectric effect is calculated for the case where the photoionization takes place within a Faraday cage held at a constant electrostatic potential. When the geometry has spherical symmetry, and when the potential is repulsive, the cross section is enhanced by a factor E /( E − V 0 ). The predicted effect is a purely quantum mechanical one, since according to classical electrodynamics, no forces due to the potential of the cage will act on a charged particle in the fieldfree region inside it. In quantum theory, the effect arises because the continuum states extend to the region outside the cage.