Noreena hertz photoelectric frequency

The Existence of a Threshold

Photoelectric emission is a fundamental quantum effect, responsible for turning light into the electrons that matter.

Among its major features, startling enough, is the existence of a threshold frequency, which indicates the absence of a photoelectric emission process for a specified material.

Noreena hertz photoelectric frequency

In this article, we will look at the threshold frequency, its importance, and the reason as to why it exists in detail.

What is Threshold Frequency?

The threshold frequency (( f_{\text{threshold}} )) is the lowest frequency of incident radiation able to liberate electrons from the surface of a material by means of the photoelectric process.

As long as the frequency of light is lower than this threshold, no electrons are emitted irrespective of the intensity of light. This trend is quite at variance with the classical wave approach which surmised that raising the intensity of lig