You have a 1 W light bulb in your lab. It puts out light of only 1 frequency. The wavelength of this light is 500nm. you set up a detector with a surface area of 1 square centimeter facing the light source at a distance of 100m. Required:
a. Find the number of photons hitting the detector every second.
b. What is the maximum E field of the E M wave hitting the detector?
c. What is the maximum value of the B field of this E M wave?
d. How far away would you have to place the detector to only receive 1 photon per second from the light bulb?

a)   # _photon = 2.5 10¹⁸ photons / s,   b) E = 10⁻² N / C,  c)     B = 3 10⁻¹¹ T

d)  r=  2 10⁹ m

Explanation:

a) Let's solve this exercise in part, let's start by finding the energy of each photon using the Planck relation

          E₀ = h f

          c = λ f

          E₀ = h c /λ

          E₀ = 6.63 10⁻³³⁴   3 10⁸/500 10⁻⁹

          E₀ = 3.978 10⁻⁻¹⁹ J

Let's use a direct ratio rule to find the number of photons

         #_foton = E / Eo

         #_fototn = 1 / 3.978 10⁻¹⁹

         # _photon = 2.5 10¹⁸ photons / s

b) The intensity received by the detector is related to the electric field

          I = E²

Let's look for the intensity that the detector receives, suppose that the emission is shapeless throughout the space

          I = P / A

          P = I A

Let's use index 1 for the point on the bulb and index 2 for the point on the detector.

The area of ​​a sphere is

          A = 4π r²

         P = I₁ A₁ = I₂ A₂

         I₁ r₁² = I₂ r₂²

         I₂ = I₁  r₁²/r₂²

         I₂ = I₁    1 / 100²

         I₂ = I₁ 10⁻⁴

we must know the intensity at the output of the bulb suppose that I₁ = 1 J

          I₂ = 10⁻⁴ J

let's look for the electric field

         E =√I

         E = √10⁻⁴

         E = 10⁻² N / C

c) for the calculation of the magnetic field we use that the field is in phase

               E / B = c

               B = E / c

               B = 10⁻² / 3 10⁸

               B = 3 10⁻¹¹ T

d) Let's use a direct proportions rule if we fear 2.5 10¹⁸ photons in an area  A = 4π R² where R = 100 m how many photons are there in the area of ​​the detector r = 1 cm,   A’= 10⁻⁴ m²

             #_photons = 2.5 10¹⁸ A_detector / A_sphere

             #_photons = 2.5 1018 10-4 / 4π 10⁴

             #_photons = 2 10⁹ photons in the detector area

for the number of photons to decrease to 1, the radius of the sphere must be 2 10⁹ m