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I'm am not a physicist, but interested in QM. Photons behavior cannot be completely explained by treating them solely as particles. The simples counter example
by slacka 10y ago
I'm am not a physicist, but interested in QM. Photons behavior cannot be completely explained by treating them solely as particles. The simples counter example (one you can perform yourself with a laser pointer), is the double-slit experiment. If photons behaved classically (like billiard balls) they'd never interfere with themselves.
If you'd like a good intro to QM, youtube is full of great material. Here are some of my favorites:
NOVA - The Fabric of the Cosmos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbIcg0XsbFQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbIcg0XsbFQ
The Secrets of Quantum Physics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgDlzGZAPcY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgDlzGZAPcY
Particle Fever: https://vimeo.com/125987472 https://vimeo.com/125987472
- tachyonbeam 10y agoYes, I'm aware of that, but how are fields quantized (divided into fixed-size packets of energy)?
- jostylr 10y agoParticles can interfere with themselves in the double-slit experiment if they are being guided by a wave. This explains wave behavior and particulate events as in Bohm's theory. Sadly, there are issues with photons as particles as their wave equations do not seem to allow for an easy particle interpretation unlike, say, electrons. Of course, the flexibility of QM allows for electrons to have a particle existence and photons to not: http://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0404134 http://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0404134 (I am a coauthor of that paper) And some videos to answer questions about BM: http://www.bohmian-mechanics.net/videos_faq.html http://www.bohmian-mechanics.net/videos_faq.html