Are photons packets of electronic waves such as this below

stevmg
Messages
696
Reaction score
3
Are photons packets of electronic waves such as this below

----------\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/-------------------------------------\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/-------->

Imagine the "------------------------->" line is an electronic beam.
 
Physics news on Phys.org


is that a question?
 


No, photons are not little bunches of classical electromagnetic waves.
 


jnorman -

Yes, it was a question.

jt bell -

Thanks for your reply. At least that's a partial answer.

How about a more complete one? (In the past on other posts on other subjects and to other PF members you have been very clear in your resposes.)
 


I suppose your more complete question is, "what is a photon, really?" :smile:

This has been discussed here many times. Here are a couple of the threads that I found with a Google search for "photon really site:physicsforums.com":

What really is a photon?

What is the photon waveform
 


Thank you, jtbell...

I will look into those links ASAP (when I get the chance.) Just got back from spending Easter weekend with my grandchildren, 6 and 8 and they wore me out.

stevmg
 
Insights auto threads is broken atm, so I'm manually creating these for new Insight articles. Towards the end of the first lecture for the Qiskit Global Summer School 2025, Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, Olivia Lanes (Global Lead, Content and Education IBM) stated... Source: https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/quantum-entanglement-is-a-kinematic-fact-not-a-dynamical-effect/ by @RUTA
If we release an electron around a positively charged sphere, the initial state of electron is a linear combination of Hydrogen-like states. According to quantum mechanics, evolution of time would not change this initial state because the potential is time independent. However, classically we expect the electron to collide with the sphere. So, it seems that the quantum and classics predict different behaviours!
Back
Top