Past exam of the physics course of the year 4 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge / 2013 / Paper 1 / Section A / A1

In a photoelectric effect experiment, illuminate a clean metal photocathode with monochromatic light and use a retarding voltage to measure the maximum emitted-electron kinetic energy. The relation $e{V}_{\mathrm{stop}}=h\nu -\varphi$ has a frequency threshold and a slope $h$. Increasing intensity chiefly changes the number emitted, while increasing frequency increases the available energy per emission. This supports energy transfer in units $h\nu$, with $\varphi$ the work function. The retarding-potential measurement distinguishes the electron energy from the photocurrent; the two respond differently to changes of the light.

In electron diffraction, accelerate electrons through a known voltage and measure the angular scattering pattern from a crystal. Distinct diffraction maxima occur where the periodic atomic arrangement gives constructive interference. Their positions give a wavelength through the crystal spacing and diffraction geometry, agreeing with the de Broglie wavelength $\lambda =h/p$, with $p\simeq \sqrt{2m_{e}eV}$ in the nonrelativistic regime. Varying the accelerating voltage shifts the maxima in the predicted way. A localized classical projectile model alone would not explain this wavelength-dependent interference pattern.