What is the wavefunction of a photon?
The wave functions (states) of a single photon, when treated as a particle-like object, are found to be equivalent to the mode functions of the quantized electromagnetic field. This field is conveniently expressed in terms of the complex electromagnetic field, E+ icB .
How does a photon have wavelength?
In order to have a sensible definition of wavelength, these photons all have to have a similar energy, so that the coherence length of the resulting wave is long (enough).
Is a photon a wave packet?
Researchers have now shaped the “pulse” of a single photon. You can squeeze it and stretch it and even chop it up, but a photon is still a photon, a particle of light. The wave function for a single photon is usually a “wave packet”–nearly zero everywhere except in a narrow range of space and time.
Is a photon a light wave?
Light is both a wave and particle in nature. Einstein believed that light is a particle, which is called a photon, and the flow of photons is a wave.
What is a photon packet?
photon, also called light quantum, minute energy packet of electromagnetic radiation. The concept originated (1905) in Albert Einstein’s explanation of the photoelectric effect, in which he proposed the existence of discrete energy packets during the transmission of light.
Which equation is used in relativistic wave function?
Dirac equation
In particle physics, the Dirac equation is a relativistic wave equation derived by British physicist Paul Dirac in 1928. In its free form, or including electromagnetic interactions, it describes all spin-1⁄2 massive particles such as electrons and quarks for which parity is a symmetry.
How many wavelengths is a photon?
So at the limit: a single photon will cover an infinite band of frequencies. The duration and the the frequency spectrum of an electromagnetic wave are Fourier transforms of each other. If you narrow one, you broaden the other. So at the limit: a single photon will cover an infinite band of frequencies.
How can a particle have a wavelength?
Particles of matter also have a wavelength, called the de Broglie wavelength, given by λ=hp λ = h p , where p is momentum. Matter is found to have the same interference characteristics as any other wave.
What is an example of photon?
An example of a photon is a carrier of an electromagnetic force. An example of a photon is what is created when the sun converts particles into both heat and light. A quantum of electromagnetic energy, a photon is a subatomic particle that has energy and momentum, but no mass or electric charge.
What is a photon?
A photon is a tiny particle that comprises waves of electromagnetic radiation. Photons have no charge, no resting mass, and travel at the speed of light. Photons are emitted by the action of charged particles, although they can be emitted by other methods including radioactive decay.
Is a photon an electron?
Photons and electrons are completely different. A photon is a particle of light. It is massless and chargeless. An electron is a massive particle with negative charge.
What exactly is photon?
The photon (Greek: φῶς, phōs, light) is a type of elementary particle. It is the quantum of the electromagnetic field including electromagnetic radiation such as light and radio waves, and the force carrier for the electromagnetic force. In 1926, Gilbert N. Lewis popularized the term photon for these energy units.