Due to the presence everywhere of the cosmic background radiation, the minimum possible temperature of a gas in interstellar or intergalactic space is not 0 K but 2.7 K. This implies that a significant fraction of the molecules in space that can be in a lowlevel excited state may, in fact, be so. Subsequent de-excitation would lead to the emission of radiation that could be detected. Consider a (hypothetical) molecule with just one possible excited state. (a) What would the excitation energy have to be for 25% of the molecules to be in the excited state? (b) What would be the wavelength of the photon emitted in a transition back to the ground state?
Due to the presence everywhere of the cosmic background radiation, the minimum possible temperature of a gas in interstellar or intergalactic space is not 0 K but 2.7 K. This implies that a significant fraction of the molecules in space that can be in a lowlevel excited state may, in fact, be so. Subsequent de-excitation would lead to the emission of radiation that could be detected. Consider a (hypothetical) molecule with just one possible excited state. (a) What would the excitation energy have to be for 25% of the molecules to be in the excited state? (b) What would be the wavelength of the photon emitted in a transition back to the ground state?
Modern Physics
3rd Edition
ISBN:9781111794378
Author:Raymond A. Serway, Clement J. Moses, Curt A. Moyer
Publisher:Raymond A. Serway, Clement J. Moses, Curt A. Moyer
Chapter16: Cosmology
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 10P
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Question
Due to the presence everywhere of the cosmic background
or intergalactic space is not 0 K but 2.7 K. This implies that a
significant fraction of the molecules in space that can be in a lowlevel
excited state may, in fact, be so. Subsequent de-excitation
would lead to the emission of radiation that could be detected.
Consider a (hypothetical) molecule with just one possible excited
state. (a) What would the excitation energy have to be for 25% of
the molecules to be in the excited state? (b)
What would be the wavelength of the photon emitted in a transition
back to the ground state?
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