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Gal
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What is the photon's equivalence of the electron's wavefunction? Can I measure qualities of the photon that will collapse into an eigenstate? What properties of the photon aren't fixed?
The photon is inherently relativistic and only properly described by quantum field theory. With that said, the QM analogy to the single photon's wave function is the complex electromagnetic field, E + iB. Google "photon wave function" and you will get quite a few references. And to draw the QM analogies further, neither position, momentum, or polarization are necessarily fixed.Gal said:What is the photon's equivalence of the electron's wavefunction? Can I measure qualities of the photon that will collapse into an eigenstate? What properties of the photon aren't fixed?
Heinera said:The photon is inherently relativistic and only properly described by quantum field theory. With that said, the QM analogy to the single photon's wave function is the complex electromagnetic field, E + iB. Google "photon wave function" and you will get quite a few references. And to draw the QM analogies further, neither position, momentum, or polarization are necessarily fixed.
Essentially yes, so you should now go on to study quantum field theory, which is the proper theory for photons.Gal said:The photon follows Maxwell's equation to form a wave according to the wave formula with velocity c. But this is fundamentally different from an electron's wave function that obeys the Schrodinger equation (first partial derivative in time opposed to second...) and that describes the probalistic state of the electron.
I would say not. The photon is not an electromagnetic wave, even if it has some properties of the em wave.Gal said:The photon follows Maxwell's equation to form a wave according to the wave formula with velocity c.
Gal said:Where exactly is the uncertainty described in photons? How do I "measure" something and what "collapses" with respect to what "operator"?
Quantum Electrodynamics, or QED, is a quantum field theory that describes the interactions between light and matter.
The fundamental principles of Quantum Electrodynamics include the concept of particles as excitations in fields, the quantization of these fields, and the use of Feynman diagrams to calculate the probability of particle interactions.
QED explains the behavior of particles through the concept of virtual particles, which are constantly appearing and disappearing in a vacuum and mediating interactions between charged particles.
Symmetry plays a crucial role in QED, as it allows for the conservation of important quantities such as electric charge and momentum. This symmetry is described by the famous Noether's theorem.
Some real-world applications of QED include the prediction and explanation of the Lamb shift and the anomalous magnetic moment of the electron, as well as the development of technologies such as lasers and transistors.