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Relativistic description of the photoelectric effect
Authors: Julio Güémez, Manuel Fiolhais
Ref.: American Journal of Physics 86, 825-830 (2018)
Abstract: Einstein’s famous explanation of the photoelectric effect is addressed using the Minkowski four-vector formalism. This formalism deals with energy and linear momentum simultaneously and it is Lorentz covariant. The energy and momentum equations for both electron emission and electron braking are obtained in the lab frame S. It is then shown that the energy and momentum equations for electron emission and electron braking in a second inertial frame S0 are linear combinations of the corresponding equations in the original frame S, according to the principle of relativity. Although the photoelectric effect is basically a non-relativistic phenomenon, the approach presented here may provide new insights for both instructors and students.
