Chapter 14 LIGHT AND MATTER

  1. 14.1 ENERGY LEVELS
    1. A. Atoms
    2. B. Ions and Doped Dielectric Media
    3. C. Molecules
    4. D. Solids
  2. 14.2 OCCUPATION OF ENERGY LEVELS
    1. A. Boltzmann Distribution
    2. B. Fermi–Dirac Distribution
  3. 14.3 INTERACTIONS OF PHOTONS WITH ATOMS
    1. A. Interaction of Single-Mode Light with an Atom
    2. B. Spontaneous Emission
    3. C. Stimulated Emission and Absorption
    4. D. Line Broadening
    5. *E. Enhanced Spontaneous Emission
    6. *F. Laser Cooling, Laser Trapping, and Atom Optics
  4. 14.4 THERMAL LIGHT
    1. A. Thermal Equilibrium Between Photons and Atoms
    2. B. Blackbody Radiation Spectrum
  5. 14.5 LUMINESCENCE AND SCATTERING
    1. A. Forms of Luminescence
    2. B. Photoluminescence
    3. C. Scattering
Image described by caption.

Niels Bohr (1885-1962)

Image described by caption.

Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Bohr and Einstein laid the theoretical foundations for describing the interaction of light with matter.

Light interacts with matter because matter contains electric charges. The time-varying electric field of light interacts with the electric charges and dipoles of atoms, molecules, and solids. A photon may interact with an atom (or ion) if its energy matches the difference between two atomic energy levels. The allowed energy levels and energy bands of matter are determined by the rules of quantum mechanics. If the atom is initially in the lower energy level, the photon ...

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