Photon Question

[Qfwfq]

The coordinate transformations are singular, between the photon's rest frame and others at lower speed, but this doesn't prevent us from describing electromagnetic radiation. Red shift and blue shift are coordinate transformations between ordinary frames. If we were travelling at c we would have an infinite kinetic energy; we would perform an infinite work on whatever slowed us down. I don't see your point HB.

 

Believe it or not, I was pissed for your sake, and all the people like you, who have devoted years of difficult study in physics here being lectured to by one who seems to understand even less physics than I do.

We get used to it.

[Little Bang]

How do I explain the Double Slit experiment using my imaginary photon? We know that light comes in discrete quanta defined by C/f. Isn't this the same thing as my imaginary photon in that it does not explain the Double Slit any better. Please correct my understanding of the Double Slit if it is wrong. I think the width of each slit is some multiple of the source wave length. Is the distance between slits some multiple? We have collected data on the experiment, come up with equations that predict maxima and minima and yet we still have no explanation of why the Double Slit gives the result we see.

 

Looking at my imaginary photon again. The electric field(donut) is on your left and the football(magnetic field) is on the right. The donut on the left starts fading away and a new donut starts forming on the right of the football. Then the football left of the new donut starts fading away and a new football starts forming on the right of the new donut. This would mean that each new photon would have a different magnetic and electric orientation.

[Qfwfq]

Please correct my understanding of the Double Slit if it is wrong. I think the width of each slit is some multiple of the source wave length. Is the distance between slits some multiple?

No, there aren't such precise constraints on these, so long as they aren't to wide compared with wavelength. Interference is constructive where the difference between the two paths is a multiple of wavelength and destructive where the difference is a half-multiple.

 

We have collected data on the experiment, come up with equations that predict maxima and minima and yet we still have no explanation of why the Double Slit gives the result we see.

It is no problem classically, i. e. in terms of just the Maxwell equations. It is counter-intuitive in corpuscular terms especially because the interference is observed even when the photons go through one at a time. We "understand" it according to quantum formalism but folks usually don't find this satisfactory because it is so unlike our everyday perception of reality and clashes with local causality. And yet, it's the way things are. I don't think your model makes it all match up better than just using amplitudes.

[Little Bang]

Therefore I should give up any attempt at describing the magical photon?

[Qfwfq]

Well, surrendering is not as good a thing as trying a better approach. It seems you studied physics long ago but haven't kept so fresh and up to date, maybe you need to first catch up before trying to pass ahead.

[Moontanman]

This is spam, please read the rules before posting

[Little Bang]

This isn't related to the thread but it is very very interesting. The September issue of Discovery magazine has an interview with Roger Penrose. Of course he's like me, needs to catch up with the new physics.

[Qfwfq]

Of course he's like me, needs to catch up with the new physics.

Well back a while ago, Penrose was needing to catch up with quantum mechanics a bit, I don't know whether he still needs to.

[Little Bang]

Are there any other members here besides Eras and Q?

 

A charged particle moving with respect to an observer exhibits an electric field. A charged particle that is stationary with respect to an observer exhibits a magnetic field. If I give the stationary charged particle an acceleration of 10^-9 meters/sec/sec with respect to the observer does it instantly switch from a magnetic to electric field? One would think that there should be a velocity where it would appear to have both.

[Qfwfq]

One would think that there should be a velocity where it would appear to have both.

Yes, any physically possible velocity other than zero (at which the field is purely electric, not magnetic). The transverse components become purely magnetic only in the [imath]v\rightarrow c[/imath] limit. The components in the direction of [imath]v[/imath] remain purely electric.

[modest]

...If I give the stationary charged particle an acceleration of 10^-9 meters/sec/sec with respect to the observer does it instantly switch...

 

Changes in the field propagate at c (though, interestingly, if the charge moves at constant velocity it has no aberration).

 

~modest

[Little Bang]

Ok. stop the acceleration after 0.000001 seconds. Now is the field electric or magnetic?

[Qfwfq]

The wave that propagates to large distances has electric and magnetic fields, both are transverse to the direction of propagation.

[Little Bang]

A possible answer to the question in post #60?

 

On the Lorentzian transformation and the radiation from a moving electron