Near ballistic light/photon interference

AI Thread Summary
Interference requires light waves to maintain coherence, while scattering typically leads to a loss of this coherence, raising questions about the potential for interference among scattered photons. The discussion explores the relationship between wave and particle theories in the context of interference, particularly focusing on near ballistic light and photon interference. It highlights that photons do not directly couple but follow the principle of superposition, which may allow for interference under certain conditions. The concept of coherent versus incoherent scattering is crucial, with dynamic light scattering mentioned as a relevant application for studying these phenomena. Resources and literature on photon-photon scattering and interference in scattered light are suggested for further exploration.
watertreader
Messages
21
Reaction score
0
Hi,

For interference to take place, the light wave must retain their coherence. For scattering, when photon particles are scattered/dispersed/deflected, they should lose their phase relationship or coherence, should they be capable of interference?

this may sound queer, i know interference are not explained via particle/photon but any way to relate wave to particle in interference? also if so, how would we relate on the above mentioned question on near ballistic light/photon interference?

Thanks
 
Science news on Phys.org
photons do not couple with each other directly , but they do obey superposition ,
I don't know if this is what you are looking for .
 
actually i am interested to know about intereference between scattered photons, are they able to interfere...is there any written books or journal on them?

thanks
 
This of course depends on whether you consider coherent or incoherent scattering mechanisms.
One application of coherence of scattered light is in dynamic light scattering/photon correlation spectroscopy where you can for example determine diffusion constants or particle size distributions of small molecules or particles forming viscous liquids in terms of the correlation functions of the scattered light.
You might want to search for dynamic light scattering for starters. Most books considering this topic also consider interference in scattering processes from a more general point of view.
 
Back
Top