Photoelectric Effect

Photoelectric Effect Photoelectric Effect is the formation and liberation of electrically charged particles in matter, usually metals, when it is irradiated by light or other electromagnetic radiation. The term photoelectric effect designates several types of interactions. In the external photoelectric effect, electrons are liberated from the surface of a metallic conductor by absorbing energy from light shining on the metal's surface. This is the form that we generally associate photoelectric effect with. Study of the …

…features of the external photoelectric effect, including why the maximum energy of electrons ejected from a metal is independent of the intensity of the light itself. Einstein's theory was later verified through further experimentation. His explanation of the photoelectric effect, with its demonstration that electromagnetic radiation can behave like a collection of particles in some situations, contributed to the development of quantum theory. *Much of this information comes from Encarta Encyclopedia’s Photoelectric Effect listing.