- #1
Crazy Tosser
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So, if you have a mirror and a particle and the source emits one photon, which one hits the particle, the photon or it's reflection in the mirror or both?
Can both a photon and it's reflection hit a particle?
- Thread starter Crazy Tosser
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- Particle Photon Reflection
In summary, a photon can go through both slits at the same time if there is no "which-way" information, but if there is "which-way" information, the photon will go one way or the other based on the information.
- #2
Doc Al
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If there's only one photon, how is there a reflection? (Ignoring for the moment the meaning of a "reflection" hitting something.)
- #3
Crazy Tosser
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Well, the photon is a wave right? So if it can go through both slits at once, why can't it reflect from the mirror and hit the particle and directly hit the particle at the same time? Or if it can't, why does it go one way or the other way?
- #4
jtbell
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Are you thinking of something like the Lloyd's mirror interference setup? The source and its image in the mirror act like the two slits in the usual two-slit interference setup. A single photon follows either one path or the other. If there is no "which-way" information, the two paths interfere and you build up an interference pattern on the screen as you send more and more photons through the system, one after the other.
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- #5
Crazy Tosser
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jtbell said:
Yes that's exactly what I was thinking of, thank you very much. I didn't know there was an experiment for it.
- #6
jtbell
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Most optics textbooks describe it, along with a variation called "Fresnel's mirrors" which uses two mirrors to produce two virtual sources that interfere. I don't know if anyone has done a one-photon-at-a-time version.
1. Can a photon and its reflection hit a particle at the same time?
No, it is not possible for both a photon and its reflection to hit a particle simultaneously. This is because a photon and its reflection are essentially the same particle traveling in opposite directions, so they cannot occupy the same space at the same time.
2. Can a photon and its reflection interact with the same particle?
Yes, both a photon and its reflection can interact with the same particle. However, they cannot interact with the particle at the same time, as explained in the previous answer.
3. How does a photon's reflection affect its interaction with a particle?
A photon's reflection does not affect its interaction with a particle in any way. The reflection is simply a consequence of the photon's behavior when it encounters a reflective surface, but it does not change the photon's properties or behavior when interacting with a particle.
4. Can a photon's reflection be considered a separate particle?
No, a photon's reflection cannot be considered a separate particle. A photon and its reflection are essentially the same particle traveling in opposite directions, and they cannot exist simultaneously.
5. Is it possible for a photon and its reflection to have different energies?
No, a photon and its reflection will always have the same energy. This is because energy is a fundamental property of a photon and cannot be changed by its reflection off a surface.