Photons, what makes them a act like a wave?

In summary, the conversation discusses the concept of photons existing outside of time and their potential to become entangled with other particles. This could potentially explain phenomena like reflection, refraction, and absorption. However, the understanding of this concept requires a basic understanding of quantum mechanics. The conversation also touches on the dual nature of photons and how their wavefunction collapses upon observation.
  • #1
Ninjacocoa
3
0
If photons exist relatively unbounded by time, then does this mean they're outside of time, or experiencing past/present/future all in the same instance?

Does this imply that they can match the quantum state of any pair photon/electron within some range, which is based on the charge of the electron photon emission.
Then become entangled with them?

Because of this, wouldn't this single photon then share energy with every neighboring electron/photon pair of the entangled pair?

Creating what we see to be as 'reflection/refraction/absorption'~ etc to be a result of the entangled particles distributing energy.

Leaving what my naive mind doesn't understand. ( big mess )

I guess in the end, I just see "zenos' paradox" and fail to understand this. 'Cus photons still travel in a straight line to me.
 
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  • #2
Ninjacocoa, I don't know how you got so far off track. You'll save yourself a lot of time if you just pick up an introductory book on quantum mechanics and read it.
 
  • #3
Hi there ,
Ninjacocoa; it'd useful for you to start with basic level of Q.M i.e how it all began.This is when google comes into picture if you serch for the following terms " Dual nature of light"/Youngs double split experiment/EPR Paradox/Schrodinger's cat in a box experiment.I think you're over loading yourself by coming across various aspects of Q.M .Make an introduction first that would be wise for you.Something which I am following. As far as answering your queries goes, they all are arguable and will most probably be picked by someone.I will start with few: For instance how do you interpret the following 'outside time' ? this to me indicates that time is seen as an absolute parameter .I don't see how past or the future have anything to do photons. Photon don't travel in straight line as Einstein proposed in G.R: The space-time curvature increases the actual distance compared to an apparent one.

In short: The only valid reason for photons to act dual in nature is due to observance,to be precise it's not the photons traveling as waves rather it's the propagation of their wavefunction .So when an observation is made,the collapse in wavefunction corresponds to a given outcome. This is applicable to any particle which shows these quantum effects as the particle size increases so does the likelihood of not seeing them.
P.S: There has been experiments were partial duality seems to have occurred,something I know in vague detail,as of yet.

-ibysaiyan
 

FAQ: Photons, what makes them a act like a wave?

1. What are photons and how do they behave?

Photons are fundamental particles that make up electromagnetic radiation, such as light. They are massless and travel at the speed of light. According to quantum mechanics, photons can behave both as particles and waves.

2. What makes photons act like a wave?

The dual nature of photons, acting as both particles and waves, is a fundamental principle in quantum mechanics. Photons behave like waves due to their wave-particle duality, which means they can exhibit characteristics of both particles and waves depending on how they are observed or measured.

3. How is the wave behavior of photons explained?

The wave behavior of photons can be explained by the concept of superposition, where multiple waves can overlap and interfere with each other. This explains phenomena such as diffraction and interference, which are characteristics of waves.

4. Can photons be described by a wave equation?

Yes, photons can be described by a wave equation known as the Schrodinger equation. This equation is used to describe the behavior of quantum particles, including photons, and predicts their wave-like behavior.

5. What is the relationship between the wavelength and energy of a photon?

The energy of a photon is directly proportional to its frequency and inversely proportional to its wavelength. This means that as the wavelength of a photon decreases, its energy increases. This relationship is described by the equation E=hf, where E is energy, h is Planck's constant, and f is frequency.

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