Do gamma and X-ray wavelength photons also exist as collapse able wave fx's?

[xander77]

This question has gone unanswered by our friends in nuclear/atomic threads.

My question relates to a solitary Tc^99m decay in particular, and to gamma rays in general. If light is a collapse able wave function, are different wavelength energies the same, ie gamma, x, radio, etc.

My suspicion is yes. Does this mean that a gamma photon detected from a far away galaxy is in fact the collapse of an ever expanding wave function?

 

[muppet]

Light is essentially the same thing as x-ray or gamma radiation at a lower energy, yes. But I don't think it has a "wavefunction" in any ordinary sense. The reason for this is that you can create and destroy billions of photons as easily as switching on and off a light bulb, so there's no conserved probability density for any individual photon. Instead, you have to think about a photon as the quantum of the electromagnetic field.

 

[xander77]

Photons are not destroyed by turning off a light, they are just no longer created. The emitted photons travel onward until acting upon something, no?

 

[xander77]

>there's no conserved probability density for any individual photon.

This is helpful, thank you

>Instead, you have to think about a photon as the quantum of the electromagnetic field.