What do we mean whe we say that electrons absorb photons

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of electron-photon interactions, particularly focusing on what it means for electrons to absorb photons. Participants explore the implications of this absorption in terms of energy transfer and the wave-particle duality of electrons and photons.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that electrons do not store photons but rather absorb their energy, resulting in an increase in the electron's energy.
  • Others question the clarity of the term "absorb," particularly in the context of wave-particle duality, suggesting that electrons can be viewed as both particles and waves during interactions with photons.
  • A participant mentions the de Broglie wavelength and its relation to particle momentum, indicating a connection between wave properties and energy transfer.
  • There is a suggestion that the complexities of photon absorption may require quantum field theory for a proper description, as standard quantum mechanics may not suffice due to the destruction of photons in the process.
  • Some participants express uncertainty about the current understanding of what occurs during photon interactions with electrons, indicating that the detailed physics may still be unresolved.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the nature of electron-photon interactions, with multiple competing views on how to interpret absorption and the implications of wave-particle duality remaining evident throughout the discussion.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the potential ambiguity in the definitions of "absorption" and the wave-particle duality, as well as the unresolved nature of the detailed mechanisms behind photon interactions with electrons.

Stranger
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What do we mean whe we say that electrons absorb photons...is it that electrons store photons somewhere...
 
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No, electrons don't store photons.

Essentially, the interaction obeys this rule:

Electron with energy E1 + photon with energy E2 --> electron with energy (E1 + E2).

The photon is destroyed in the process. The electron does not 'store' the photon itself, but it does take on the photon's energy.

- Warren
 
what do you think is the situation when electron are waves...
 
Quantum-mechanically, waves and particles are one and the same. What exactly do you mean?

- Warren
 


Originally posted by Stranger
What do we mean whe we say that electrons absorb photons...is it that electrons store photons somewhere...

Do you mean to say "atoms" instead of "electrons"? That would be the most likely thing, I think.
 
Quantum-mechanically, waves and particles are one and the same. What exactly do you mean?

Is it that when photons (when considered as particles) are absorbed by electron...then the electrons should be described a particle...and that when photons are considered as waves the electron, absorbing it is also wave...my question was can we consider electrons as waves while considering the photon, that the electron absorbs, as particles...how would you describe a wave absorbing a particle...
 
You describe a wave/particle absorbing a wave/particle

deBroigles wavelength..It equals Plancks Constant divided by a particles momentum..

Hm..I don't know the detailed physics behind the actual transfer of energy...Maybe we haven't even been able to describe it yet...*shrug*
 
With great difficulty. Because photons are being destroyed, regular quantum mechanics won't work, and you have to use quantum field theory to do it properly. Dirac was the first person to work it out in a famous paper around the middle of the century.
 
...Maybe we haven't even been able to describe it yet.

So do you mean that it has not yet been found out...what the electrons are like...I know that they are like particles as well as like waves...
 
  • #10
Originally posted by Stranger
So do you mean that it has not yet been found out...what the electrons are like...I know that they are like particles as well as like waves...


No, I meant that I didnt know whether or not we are able to describe what actually happens during photon interactions
 

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