COMEDK2025PhysicsAtomic PhysicsActual
The minimum energy required by a hydrogen atom in ground state to emit radiation in Paschen series is nearly:
Options
- A12.75 eV
- B13.6 eV
- C10.75 eV
- D1.5 eV
Correct answer
A. 12.75 eV
Step-by-step solution
The energy levels of a hydrogen atom are given by E_n = - 13.6 n^2 eV . The Paschen series corresponds to transitions where the electron falls to the energy level n_f = 3 . To emit radiation in the Paschen series, the electron must first be excited from the ground state ( n_i = 1 ) to an excited state n_e such that it can subsequently transition to n_f = 3 . The lowest energy transition in the Paschen series originates from n_e = 4 to n_f = 3 . Therefore, the minimum energy required to excite the electron from the