The discussion centers on the nature of photons and their travel, emphasizing that photons, which are massless particles of light, are often described as traveling due to their interaction with matter. Participants argue that while photons can be blocked or redirected, the concept of "travel" may be misleading, as energy is communicated rather than physically moving through space. The conversation also touches on the electromagnetic wave theory, suggesting that photons are manifestations of oscillatory energy rather than discrete particles moving through a medium.
PREREQUISITESPhysicists, students of quantum mechanics, and anyone interested in the fundamental nature of light and energy transfer in the universe.
It never exhibits its wave and particle natures simultaneously.
I'm not sure what you mean by 'imaginary in part'.Is a wave packet a single photon imaginary in part, or perhaps always a multiplicity of photons?
In other words, can't the photon before measurement be represented as a vector oscillating in complex space? A Fourier transform, such as accompanies a measurement, might convert a wave packet into a photon, or a wave into a wave packet.Is a wave packet a single photon imaginary in part...
lightarrow said:Can a photon exist in absence of interaction? Perhaps we should start a new thread about it. (My answer is no, but I'm open to every possibility).