The particle in a box model is often used to make rough estimates of ground- state energies. Suppose that you have a neutron confined to a one-dimensional box of length equal to a nuclear diameter (say \(10^{-14} \mathrm{m}\) ). What is the ground-state energy of the confined neutron?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Answer: The ground-state energy of the confined neutron is approximately \(9.813 \times 10^{-14} \mathrm{J}\).

Step by step solution

01

List the given values

We know the following values: - Length of the box (\(L\)): \(10^{-14} \mathrm{m}\) - Planck constant (\(h\)): \(6.626 \times 10^{-34} \mathrm{J \cdot s}\) - Mass of the neutron (\(m\)): \(1.675 \times 10^{-27} \mathrm{kg}\) - Ground state energy level (\(n\)): 1
02

Plug the values into the ground-state energy formula

Now, we need to plug the given values into the ground-state energy formula: \(E_n = \dfrac{n^2 \cdot h^2}{8 \cdot m \cdot L^2}\)
03

Calculate the ground-state energy

Substitute the values of \(n\), \(h\), \(m\), and \(L\) into the equation: \(E_1 = \dfrac{1^2 \cdot (6.626 \times 10^{-34} \mathrm{J \cdot s})^2}{8 \cdot (1.675 \times 10^{-27} \mathrm{kg}) \cdot (10^{-14} \mathrm{m})^2}\) Now, calculate the ground-state energy: \(E_1 = \dfrac{(6.626 \times 10^{-34})^2}{8 \cdot (1.675 \times 10^{-27}) \cdot (10^{-14})^2} \mathrm{J}\) \(E_1 = 9.813 \times 10^{-14} \mathrm{J}\) So, the ground-state energy of the confined neutron is approximately \(9.813 \times 10^{-14} \mathrm{J}\).

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Most popular questions from this chapter

An electron in a one-dimensional box has ground-state energy 0.010 eV. (a) What is the length of the box? (b) Sketch the wave functions for the lowest three energy states of the electron. (c) What is the wavelength of the electron in its second excited state \((n=3) ?\) (d) The electron is in its ground state when it absorbs a photon of wavelength \(15.5 \mu \mathrm{m}\). Find the wavelengths of the photon(s) that could be emitted by the electron subsequently.
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