Can photons excite electrons in the inner shells?

[StringJunky]

Or just the outer one?

[QuantumT]

I had a similar question that I googled, and got this:

https://www.quora.com/Which-particles-emits-photons

I know it's not the same, but it gives a picture of matter <-> photon interaction.

[Sensei]

Quote

Can photons excite electrons in the inner shells?

Yes, absolutely.

If inner shell electron is ejected, one of outer shell electrons can emit photon and replace it.

Then ejected electron might emit photon again, and replace older outer electron space.

It was showed in x-ray photon interactions video:

 

Gamma photon with enough energy can disintegrate nucleus, in the process called photodisintegration.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photodisintegration

 

 

Edited February 22, 2019 by Sensei

[StringJunky]

4 minutes ago, Sensei said:

Yes, absolutely.

If inner shell electron is ejected, one of outer shell electrons can emit photon and replace it.

Then ejected electron might emit photon again, and replace older outer electron space.

It was showed in x-ray photon interactions video:

 

Gamma photon with enough energy can disintegrate nucleus, in the process called photodisintegration.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photodisintegration

 

 

So, the energy of the photon determines how far it can penetrate and  the resulting effect?

[Eise]

I am working at a company that trades in nuts and bolts. They have an X-ray device for analysing the metals of which the nuts and bolts are made (quality control). As I understand this, for many metals just the electrons in the outer shells do not distinguish between all the metals: with the X-rays one can reach electrons at deeper shells, and from the produced spectral lines that are emitted, one can conclude which metals are used.

If I understood something wrong, please correct me.

OK, just looked it up: it is called X-ray fluorescence.

Quote

When materials are exposed to short-wavelength X-rays or to gamma rays, ionization of their component atoms may take place. Ionization consists of the ejection of one or more electrons from the atom, and may occur if the atom is exposed to radiation with an energy greater than its ionization energy. X-rays and gamma rays can be energetic enough to expel tightly held electrons from the inner orbitals of the atom. The removal of an electron in this way makes the electronic structure of the atom unstable, and electrons in higher orbitals "fall" into the lower orbital to fill the hole left behind. In falling, energy is released in the form of a photon, the energy of which is equal to the energy difference of the two orbitals involved. Thus, the material emits radiation, which has energy characteristic of the atoms present. The term fluorescence is applied to phenomena in which the absorption of radiation of a specific energy results in the re-emission of radiation of a different energy (generally lower).

 

[druS]

9 hours ago, StringJunky said:

So, the energy of the photon determines how far it can penetrate and  the resulting effect?

I would have thought that energy of the photon determines whether or not it excites electrons in the element. Not how much it penetrates. Interested in responses here.