Wave-particle nature of light

Line spectra for multi-electron atoms are more complex than the hydrogen line spectrum, and thus are less easily explained in an explicit fashion at a middle school, high school, or even first year undergraduate level. However, discussions of this topic with respect to the hydrogen atom allow for the instructor to point out many important features of rudimentary quantum mechanics. Among these are the quantized nature of the electrons in atoms, the Bohr model of one-electron atoms, the dual wave-particle nature of light, the... 

What is the exact nature of light Does it consist of waves or is it a stream of particles of energy It seems to be both (see Figure 11.5). This situation is often referred to as the wave-particle nature of light. 

What is meant by the wave-particle nature of light ... 

The wave-particle nature of light refers to the fact that a beam of electromagnetic energy can be considered not only as a continuous wave, but also as a stream of discrete packets of energy moving through space. 

The solution, proposed by Einstein, was that the discrete energy units, identified by Planck, correspond to quanta of light, called photons, which interact with electrons in the metal surface during direct collision. This dual wave/particle nature of light inspired de Broglie to postulate a similar behaviour for electrons. Experimental observation of electron diffraction confirmed the wave nature of electrons and firmly estabUshed the dual character of all quantum objects as mysterious reality. As the logical pictme of an entity, which is wave as well as particle, is hard to swallow, it has become fashionable to avoid all physical models of quantum events it is considered poor taste to contaminate the quantmn world with classical concepts. This noble idea of the so-called Copenhagen interpretation of quantmn theory has resulted in a probabilistic computational model that, not only defies, but denies comprehension. 

But light is also a particle. Some properties of light cannot be explained by the wave-like nature of light, such as the photoelectric effect and blackbody radiation (see Section 9.4), so we also need to think of light comprising particles, i.e. photons. Each photon has a direction as it travels. A photon moves in a straight line, just like a tennis ball would in the absence of gravity, until it interacts in some way (either it reflects or is absorbed). 

Still, the interference patterns from the double slit experiment clearly indicated that light was a wave. How could Einstein reconcile his conclusions about the particle nature of light with the results of the double slit experiment Was it possible that light could act as either particle or wave ... 

Does the particle nature of light cause its wave aspects Or vice versa All these questions may only be asked from the point of view of classical physics, they only have meaning from the classical view. Once quantum mechanical physics enters the scene, no one even attempts to answer the questions on the classical level, if my guess that brain and mind are parallel aspects of a more fundamental reality is nebulous, perhaps it will take on some relevance when a "quantum mechanics of philosophy" will be available, whether a process of mind studying mind will accomplish such a feat is still an open question. 

Wave Nature of Light Particle Nature of Light... 

Tipler, Paul A., and Gene Mosca. Physics for Scientists and Engineers. 6th ed. New York W. H. Freeman, 2008. Paul Tipler s physics text has been a staple for introductory university physics courses for many years. Chapters cover basic physics concepts including the basic physics of optics and the dual wave and particle nature of light. 

Quantum Optics. Quantum optics is a division of physics that comes from the application of mathematical models of quantum mechanics to the dual wave and particle nature of light. This area of optics has applications in meteorology, telecommunications, and other industries. 

The Wave Nature of Light 217 The Particle Nature of Light 220 Atomic Spectra 223 Line Spectra and the Rydberg Equation 223 The Bohr Model of the Hydrogen Atom 224 7.4... 

If we think in terms of the particulate nature of light (wave-particle duality), the number of particles of light or other electi omagnetic radiation (photons) in a unit of frequency space constitutes a number density. The blackbody radiation curve in Fig. 1-1, a plot of radiation energy density p on the vertical axis as a function of frequency v on the horizontal axis, is essentially a plot of the number densities of light particles in small intervals of frequency space. 

Ligand A molecule or anion bonded to the central metal in a complex ion, 409 characterization, 411-412 nomenclature, 648-649 Light, 159q absorption, 421 particle nature of, 135-136 wave nature of, 133-135 Limiting reactant The least abundant... 

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