Question about refraction experiments

jostpuur
Messages
2,112
Reaction score
19
A very noobish physics question: Has it been experimentally verified, that individual photons get refracted, for example when shot one at a time through a glass, or does the refraction occur only with classical electromagnetic waves?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
It is experimentally verified that individual photons also get refracted. Which should not be surprising, of course, given the fact that a single photon also has a wave function.
 
there is a long discussion in this forum about photon refraction and reflection

look at the thread "mach-zehnder interferometer experiment" or something like that
 

Thread 'Schrödinger equation and classical wave equation'

Not an expert in QM. AFAIK, Schrödinger's equation is quite different from the classical wave equation. The former is an equation for the dynamics of the state of a (quantum?) system, the latter is an equation for the dynamics of a (classical) degree of freedom. As a matter of fact, Schrödinger's equation is first order in time derivatives, while the classical wave equation is second order. But, AFAIK, Schrödinger's equation is a wave equation; only its interpretation makes it non-classical...
View full post »

Thread 'Quantum Entanglement is a Kinematic Fact, not a Dynamical Effect'

Insights auto threads is broken atm, so I'm manually creating these for new Insight articles. Towards the end of the first lecture for the Qiskit Global Summer School 2025, Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, Olivia Lanes (Global Lead, Content and Education IBM) stated... Source: https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/quantum-entanglement-is-a-kinematic-fact-not-a-dynamical-effect/ by @RUTA
View full post »

Thread 'Is Maxwell's electromagnetism an effective (field) theory?'

Is it possible, and fruitful, to use certain conceptual and technical tools from effective field theory (coarse-graining/integrating-out, power-counting, matching, RG) to think about the relationship between the fundamental (quantum) and the emergent (classical), both to account for the quasi-autonomy of the classical level and to quantify residual quantum corrections? By “emergent,” I mean the following: after integrating out fast/irrelevant quantum degrees of freedom (high-energy modes...
View full post »

Similar threads

I The speed of one photon through a transparent medium
2
Replies
74
Views
5K
Photons acceleration in refraction
Replies
8
Views
2K
I The physical components in the electron double slit experiment
Replies
7
Views
1K
I Energy Redistribution in Lorentz Oscillator Model with Pure Radiation Damping
Replies
2
Views
647
I Why is Cherenkov radiation blue? And what about refractive index?
Replies
3
Views
2K
Photonic density of state in matter
Replies
2
Views
2K
Does the wf entangle everything in the neighborhood?
Replies
1
Views
1K
I "Wave-particle duality" and double-slit experiment
Replies
36
Views
7K
I 2-Slit: How do we know photon guns only produce single photons?
Replies
33
Views
2K
I Question about the Which Way experiment & the detectors used
Replies
6
Views
2K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top