Wave-particle duality question

[davepl]

Brace yourself for another banal question, but...

All the explanations I've read that introduce the wave/particle duality start by saying it has to be wave (the light-slit interference experiment) and that light arrives in discrete quantums (the photo electric effect, etc).

None of the "analogy style" explanations cover why light couldn't just be a wave that's always emitted only in discrete "bursts" of a wave. So instead of a particle, you get discrete little bursts of a wave, say one peak-to-peak at the expected wavelength.

Since I doubt I'm about to overturn physics with this ingenious postulate, I assume there are lots of good experiments and reasons why the characteristics that cause people to attribute particle properties to a photon couldn't be explained by it being a short burst of a high-amplitude wave... but can anyone give me an example or explanation?

Thanks!
Dave

 

[ZapperZ]

Try getting a "short burst of high-amplitude wave". Now do a Fourier Transform out of it. Whoa Nellie, there's a bunch of other frequencies associated with that "short burst"! It is no longer monochromatic, or not even close! The shorter you make the pulse, the more the higher order frequencies that will start to appear. Yet, a photon, by definition, has only 1 frequency. This means that your scenario here is inconsistent with what you are trying to fit into.

You may want to first read our FAQ in the General Physics forum regarding this so-called "duality".

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=104715

Zz.

 

[denian]

The concept of wave-particle duality is a fundamental principle in quantum mechanics and is supported by numerous experiments and observations. While it may seem counterintuitive, it is a well-established concept that has been confirmed by countless experiments.

To answer your question, it is important to understand that light (and other particles) exhibit both wave-like and particle-like behavior depending on the experimental setup. This is known as the wave-particle duality. In certain experiments, such as the double-slit experiment, light behaves like a wave, creating an interference pattern. However, in other experiments, such as the photoelectric effect, light behaves like a particle, with discrete packets of energy (photons) being emitted.

One of the key reasons why light cannot simply be a wave that is emitted in discrete "bursts" is due to the phenomenon of diffraction. Diffraction is the bending of waves around obstacles or through small openings. This phenomenon has been observed in light, and it can only be explained by treating light as a wave. If light were simply a burst of a wave, it would not be able to diffract around obstacles or through small openings.

Furthermore, the concept of quantization, or the idea that energy can only exist in discrete units, is a fundamental principle in quantum mechanics. This is supported by numerous experiments, including the photoelectric effect, where the energy of electrons emitted from a metal surface is dependent on the frequency of the incident light. This can only be explained by treating light as a particle (photon) with discrete energy levels.

In conclusion, while it may seem plausible to explain light as a short burst of a high-amplitude wave, the phenomenon of diffraction and the principle of quantization provide strong evidence for the wave-particle duality of light. This concept has been extensively studied and confirmed by numerous experiments, and it is a crucial aspect of our understanding of the behavior of particles at the quantum level.