Comparing Photons & EM Waves in Physics

[lightarrow]

If the "wave" you are talking about is an abstract mathematical thing that is found only in QM equations, but not in nature, then I agree. However, I wouldn't like to think that real electron is such a wave, that electron's charge is really spread out over large volume, and that at the instant of the "click" this "cloud" collapses to a point. This weird behavior is OK for the wave treated as a mathematical abstraction, but it doesn't look OK if the wave is a real physical object.

Ok, infact I don't say the wave is a real physical object, but, in the same way, you can't say that [what you mean with "particle"] is a real physical object, in my hopinion, since the only physical object here is the "click" of the detector. Don't you agree?

 

[ZapperZ]

Ok, infact I don't say the wave is a real physical object, but, in the same way, you can't say that [what you mean with "particle"] is a real physical object, in my hopinion, since the only physical object here is the "click" of the detector. Don't you agree?

But the "particle" in question is defined as having a localized energy, and a "click" in a detector at a particular location is consistent with such a definition. The "wave" of light that is commonly used is a realwave that exists in real space, i.e. it is similar to seeing water waves. This is NOT the wavefunction of light as described in QM, which exists in configuration space. That is the distinction that is being confused here.

Zz.

 

[meopemuk]

Ok, infact I don't say the wave is a real physical object, but, in the same way, you can't say that [what you mean with "particle"] is a real physical object, in my hopinion, since the only physical object here is the "click" of the detector. Don't you agree?

I think we can agree here. "Clicks" is the only objective reality that we observe. Both "particles" and "waves" are simply mental constructs that we invent to visualize our mathematical description of "clicks". In my opinion the notion of "particles" makes this visualization more clear and less contradictory.