- #1
jaydnul
- 528
- 15
First off, is a photon just one wave cycle of an EM sine wave (2∏). If so, could the human eye detect just a single photon by itself?
No. In fact, there hardly is a notion of a "single photon".First off, is a photon just one wave cycle of an EM sine wave (2∏).
That depends on the energy of the photon, which can range from zero to somewhere about infinity.If so, could the human eye detect just a single photon by itself?
I would think that with 6 photons, and under those ideal conditions, you would still be wondering to yourself "did I see something there"? lol.
Though, I'm not very familiar with human physiology to be of more help.
There is a related phenomenon with cosmic rays. Apparently single sub-atomic particles can be perceived, although the mechanism is not clear.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_ray_visual_phenomena
I'm not sure how this translates to single high-energy photons.
First off, is a photon just one wave cycle of an EM sine wave (2∏). If so, could the human eye detect just a single photon by itself?