Maximum Excursion of the Photoelectric Long Wave Limit of the Alkali Metals

Abstract

Earlier experiments have shown that the long wave limit of photoelectric action in the case of thin films of the alkali metals varies with the thickness of the film. A maximum value is attained greater than that for the metal in bulk, which for the majority of the alkali metals lies in the infra-red. The wave-length of the maximum excursion of the long wave limit was first studied for Na, K, Rb and Cs. In each case it was found to coincide with the first line of the principal series, i.e. the resonance potential. If this relation holds for lithium, its maximum long wave limit should be greater than that of sodium. This was tested and confirmed by experiments in which red-sensitive lithium films were prepared, sensitive to 0.6708\ensuremath{\mu}. It is suggested that photoelectric emission is caused when sufficient energy is given to the atom, to produce its first stage of excitation. The identity of photoelectric and thermionic work functions suggests that atomic excitation is the initial process in thermionic emission as well.