Can Photon States Be Represented as Column Vectors in Quantum Mechanics?

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SUMMARY

Photon states can indeed be represented as column vectors in quantum mechanics, specifically in the form |ψ> = [cos(θ) sin(θ) exp(i*ø)]. When this general photon state passes through a linear polarizer represented by the matrix [1 0; 0 0], the output is [cos(θ) 0], not the expected [1 0] as commonly stated in textbooks. This discrepancy highlights the importance of understanding the polarization state of photons and the role of polarizers in quantum mechanics, emphasizing the need to reconcile classical and quantum descriptions through the correspondence principle.

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suma
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I have few questions to ask:

1. Can a photon state be written as
|ψ> = [cos(θ) sin(θ) exp(i*ø)] in column vector form

2. When a general photon state|ψ> = [cos(θ) sin(θ) exp(i*ø)] passes through a linear polarizer [1 0; 0 0] we get [cos(θ) 0] at the output but not [1 0] as is usually found in textbook

thanks
 
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Presumably you mean to describe only the polarization state of the photon.
You should realize that x and y directions are meaningless without a polarizer.
You appear to be trying to resolve the classical and quantum descriptions of polarization - this should be done via the correspondence principle.

See:
http://mathpages.com/rr/s9-04/9-04.htm
... you need to scroll right down to the bottom to get to the QM version of linear and circularly polarized light.
 

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