Questions on Photon Excitations: Eigen-Modes & Boundary Conditions

[exmarine]

I’ve seen references on here to photons being “excitations of the EM field”. I have a few questions about those “excitations”.

• I assume they are eigen-solutions of the 1D wave equation?
• What are the boundary conditions on the solutions?
• Is a single photon a single eigen-mode, or a supper-position of more than one mode?
• Are the solutions normal or complex modes?
  

The reason for some of the questions is that I don’t see how a SINGLE NORMAL mode can transmit information, energy, momentum, or whatever from one place to another.

Recommended references appreciated.

 

[Dr. Courtney]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photon

 

[Nugatory]

I assume they are eigen-solutions of the 1D wave equation?

No.

Recommended references appreciated.

Give this piece by @john baez a try: http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/photon/schmoton.htm

 

[exmarine]

Thanks for those two references. Near the end of the first is a link to another really nice one:http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.14183!/file/photon.pdf