Electron waves and photons?

In summary, the nature of an electron is not limited to being either a particle or a wave, but rather it behaves as both at once depending on the observation. When it comes to emission of photons, it is a result of scattering events between multiple particles, and the process itself is not visualizable as a particle or a wave. Fock space, which describes the possible states of particles, does not determine the possible interactions between them. The interactions are determined by the Hamiltonian or Lagrangian of the theory.
  • #1
Nano-Passion
1,291
0
If electron acts both as a wave and a particle; how does an electron emit a photon when it is a wave?
 
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  • #2
From what I understand, underneath any observation is behaves as both constantly. It takes on the characteristics of one or the other depending on how the observation is performed.

Don't quote me on this, though. It wasn't until just yesterday that any of the most basic equations clicked in my head.
 
  • #3
I'm under the impression an electron is neither a particle or a wave.
 
  • #4
Nano-Passion said:
If electron acts both as a wave and a particle; how does an electron emit a photon when it is a wave?

A single electron does not emit photons. It only carries with it an electromagnetic field.

Emission processes are scattering events when several particles interact. They behave very much like chemical reactions. For example, absorption and emission of an electron in a hydrogen atom is a reversible reaction of the form
pe + g <==> pe^*,
(p=proton, e= electron, g=gamma=photon), where e^* is an excited state of the electron.

During the reaction, one has complicated intermediate states in a so-called Fock space, not visualizable as a particle or wave. Only the input and output of the scattering process is visualizable in this way.
 
  • #5
The wave nature of electron is not to be confused with the wave nature of a photon. Photon itself can be seen as a particle or a wave of the electromagnetic field. Electron as a wave is not a wave of electromagnetic field but a wave of another field.
 
  • #6
A. Neumaier said:
A single electron does not emit photons. It only carries with it an electromagnetic field.

Emission processes are scattering events when several particles interact. They behave very much like chemical reactions. For example, absorption and emission of an electron in a hydrogen atom is a reversible reaction of the form
pe + g <==> pe^*,
(p=proton, e= electron, g=gamma=photon), where e^* is an excited state of the electron.

During the reaction, one has complicated intermediate states in a so-called Fock space, not visualizable as a particle or wave. Only the input and output of the scattering process is visualizable in this way.

Is this Fock space a complex geometry within the local space of the interacting particles, or is it a description of the interactions of the particles on an abstract, immeasurably small scale within the local space?
 
  • #7
JesusInACan said:
Is this Fock space a complex geometry within the local space of the interacting particles, or is it a description of the interactions of the particles on an abstract, immeasurably small scale within the local space?

Fock space only tells about the possible _states_; nothing about possible _interactions_.

An single proton, electron, or photon is described by a state in the Hilbert space of 3-dimensional wave functions with the appropriate number of components. Fock space is the correctly (anti)symmetrized tensor product of arbitrarily many of these Hilbert spaces, and can describe superpositions of states with 3 particles and states with 2 particles (as needed in the specific example given).

Which reactions are possible is determined not by the Fock space but by the interaction terms in the Hamiltonian or Lagrangian defining the theory.
 

1. What are electron waves?

Electron waves refer to the wave-like behavior of electrons, which are particles that make up atoms. Similar to light waves, electrons can also exhibit properties of both particles and waves.

2. How are electron waves different from electromagnetic waves?

Electron waves are different from electromagnetic waves in several ways. Electrons are particles with mass, while electromagnetic waves are massless. Additionally, electron waves have a de Broglie wavelength, which is determined by the momentum of the electron, while electromagnetic waves have a wavelength determined by their frequency.

3. What is the role of electron waves in quantum mechanics?

In quantum mechanics, the behavior of electrons is described by their wave function, which is a mathematical representation of their wave-like behavior. This allows for the prediction of the probability of finding an electron in a particular location or state.

4. What is the relationship between electron waves and photons?

Electrons and photons are both fundamental particles, but they have different properties. While electrons have both particle and wave-like behavior, photons only exhibit wave-like behavior. Additionally, electrons have mass and electric charge, while photons are massless and have no electric charge.

5. How are electron waves and photons used in technology?

Electron waves and photons play crucial roles in various technologies. Electron waves are used in electron microscopes to produce high-resolution images, while photons are utilized in devices such as lasers, solar cells, and fiber optics for communication. They also have applications in medical imaging, such as X-rays and MRI scans.

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