Answer to Question #298898 in Optics for Chemistry

Question

There is a certain probability that a single electron may simultaneously absorb two identical photons from a high-intensity laser. How would such an occurrence affect the threshold frequency? Explain.

Answer 1

Answer

two-photon absorption process, two photons are simultaneously absorbed by an electron or atom. The energy of the transition will be the sum of the energies of the two photons or the total energy of the two photons. So, the threshold energy of the process will be the same as in a normal photoelectric effect. But since the energy of the process is the sum of the energies of the two photons, so, the energy of each photon can be half of the value of the threshold energy.