Can Single Photons Be Isolated and Accelerated?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the isolation of single photons and their potential acceleration or collision in particle accelerators. Participants explore the terminology surrounding photon isolation, the nature of photon interactions, and the feasibility of using particle accelerators for photons.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants assert that single photons can be isolated, referencing single photon sources and suggesting that this has been demonstrated in scientific literature.
  • Others clarify that photons are massless and uncharged, making them unsuitable for acceleration in particle accelerators, which typically operate on charged particles.
  • A participant questions the terminology of "isolating" photons and emphasizes the need for clarity in the original question regarding what is meant by isolation.
  • There is a discussion about photon interactions, with some noting that photons do not collide in the traditional sense but can interfere, while others mention higher-order interactions in high-energy physics contexts.
  • One participant suggests that the original poster (OP) may be referring to a conceptual understanding of electromagnetic fields rather than a practical isolation of photons.
  • The OP clarifies their intent, indicating they are referring to lasers capable of emitting single photons at a time, which some participants affirm is indeed possible.
  • Detection of single photons using photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) is mentioned as a relevant technology.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the terminology and feasibility of isolating and accelerating photons. While there is some agreement on the existence of single photon sources, the discussion remains unresolved regarding the implications of photon interactions and the practicalities of using particle accelerators for photons.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights ambiguities in the terminology used to describe photon isolation and interactions, as well as the dependence on specific definitions and contexts in high-energy physics.

ffleming7
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This is probably a stupid question, but I was wondering if scientists have been able to isolate a single photon. And if they have, have they run photons through particle accelerators to see what happens when they collide?
 
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Photns have been isolated - I hope someone can give a reference. Particle accelerators work on charged particles - photons have no charge.
 
Isolating photons is a strange terminology.
However, there are single photon sources, for example the one mentioned http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/290/5500/2282" (to read the full article, you might need a subscription).

And as said before, putting photons in particle accelerators won't help much. In vacuum they are already moving at c. You won't be able to accelerate them.
If you choose to collide 2 photons, nothing much happens. In the visible range, there will be no interactions unless you go to really high photon densities (like in extremely powerful lasers). In the high energy range, photons might behave differently, but there are people around here, who know more about high energy and particle physics than I do
 
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Photons can't "collisde." They can interfere, constructively or destructively, like a wave.
 
peter0302 said:
Photons can't "collisde." They can interfere, constructively or destructively, like a wave.

Although the term collision might be unusual, there are sometimes higher order terms in Feynman graphs representing photon-photon scattering in high energy physics.
These are not just simple results of interference.
 
The OP needs to explain what he/she means as "isolated". Or else, subsequent discussion on this is meaningless.

Zz.
 
may be he/she is talking about modes of the universe, where all EM field is understood as one only object.
 
ZapperZ said:
The OP needs to explain what he/she means as "isolated". Or else, subsequent discussion on this is meaningless.

Zz.

By isolated, I meant, have scientists ever made a laser that could shoot out just one photon at a time.
 
ffleming7 said:
By isolated, I meant, have scientists ever made a laser that could shoot out just one photon at a time.

Then read the link given earlier in this thread about single-photon sources. This means that based on your explanation, the answer is YES.

Zz.
 

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