Photon is electromagnetic field, right?

AI Thread Summary
A photon is considered a quanta of electromagnetic radiation and is described as an electromagnetic field, specifically a "null electromagnetic field," which is electrically and magnetically neutral. Despite being associated with electric and magnetic fields, a photon does not carry net charge, and its fields oscillate, changing sign but maintaining constant amplitude. The energy of a photon is linked to the amplitude and wavelength of its oscillation, rather than the strength of its fields. The discussion also touches on the relationship between photons and charged particles, noting that photons are emitted by moving charges but do not possess charge themselves. Overall, the conversation emphasizes the complexities of understanding photons within the framework of classical electromagnetism and quantum field theory.
  • #51
Barry_G said:
Educate yourself. If you want to work out electric and magnetic fields for any distribution you need to use equations for point charges. That is Coulomb's law, Biot-Savart law and Lorentz force equations, for point charges, and then you integrate.

Coulomb's Law is derived from Maxwell's Equations (Gauss' Law for Electricity) under the assumption of static conditions (i.e. when \partial E / \partial t =0 and \partial B / \partial t =0).

The Biot-Savart Law is derived from Maxwell's Equations (Ampere's Law and Gauss' Law for Magnetism) also under the assumption of static conditions.

Coulomb's Law and the Biot-Savart Law are only valid when the electric and magnetic fields are not changing in time. Maxwell's Equations are more fundamental, and will describe the electric and magnetic fields under any conditions. The Lorentz Force Law will then tell you how a test particle placed in these fields will behave.

Barry_G said:
Not even electromagnetic wave equation describes any waves.

I'm not really sure what you mean by that. It's a wave equation, so obviously it describes a wave.

Barry_G said:
Nonsense.

Just because you say something is nonsense doesn't make it so. He showed you, step by step, how the linearity of Maxwell's Equations prove that external fields superimpose on the EM wave so that the wave itself is unaffected by the external fields.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #52
Dead Boss said:
It seems quite obvious now that Barry does not want to learn anything and is trying to push his own personal theories. Is there a way to request thread lock? :rolleyes:

The normal method is to use the "Report" button on a problematic post. In this case, however, you can consider it done.
 

Similar threads

Back
Top