Les photons existent-ils ? π‘
ScienceEtonnanteγ»24 minutes read
The text discusses the recipe for classic spaghetti carbonara, along with the history and controversy surrounding the concept of photons in physics, questioning their existence and behavior in light. Willis Lamb and other scholars like Euclid, Newton, Young, and Einstein have contributed to the evolving theories around light, with quantum mechanics incorporating the photon concept to explain its nature as excitations in quantum fields.
Insights
- Willis Lamb challenges the existence of photons, arguing that the concept lacks scientific justification, questioning the traditional understanding of light particles.
- Historical evolution from light modeled as rays by Euclid to the wave theory supported by Thomas Young's experiments, leading to the modern interpretation of light as quantum fields with photons as excitations, shedding light on the complex nature of light beyond classical views.
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Recent questions
What did Willis Lamb argue about photons?
Lack scientific justification
Who proposed the wave theory of light?
Huygens
What did Thomas Young's experiments support?
Wave theory of light
How did Einstein interpret the photoelectric effect?
Light behaves as particles
What did Serge Haroche's experiments illustrate?
Quantum decoherence phenomena
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Summary
00:00
"Classic Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe"
- Recipe for classic spaghetti carbonara
- Ingredients: spaghetti (400g), eggs (4), pecorino cheese (100g), guanciale (100g), black pepper
- Boil spaghetti until al dente
- Fry guanciale until crispy
- Mix eggs, cheese, and pepper in a bowl
- Drain spaghetti, add to guanciale in pan
- Remove pan from heat, add egg mixture, stir quickly
- Serve immediately, garnish with extra cheese and pepper
00:00
Evolution of Light Theories: From Waves to Fields
- Willis Lamb, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, argues that photons do not exist and the concept lacks scientific justification.
- Scholars like Euclid and Ptolemy historically modeled light as rays, with Al Hazen formalizing the first modern theory of optics around 1000.
- In the 17th century, Newton proposed light rays as tiny corpuscles, while Huygens believed light was a wave.
- Thomas Young's experiments on diffraction and interference in 1802 supported the wave theory of light.
- Maxwell's equations in 1864 implied electromagnetic waves, confirmed experimentally by Heinrich Hertz in 1887.
- Einstein's interpretation of the photoelectric effect in 1905 suggested light behaves as particles called photons.
- Quantum mechanics incorporates Einstein's photon concept, indicating light has particle-like behavior.
- The photoelectric effect doesn't definitively prove the existence of photons, as it can be explained with classical electromagnetic waves.
- Lewis, not Einstein, coined the term "photon" in 1926, initially to describe a new type of atom.
- The Lamb shift, discovered by Lamb, highlights the limitations of purely wave theories and the rejection of photons as light particles.
- Quantum electrodynamics explains the nature of light as quantum fields, with photons representing excitations in the electromagnetic field.
- Coherent states in lasers demonstrate that light is not composed of fixed numbers of photons but exists in superpositions.
- Single photons emitted from atomic transitions are delocalized and do not conform to the traditional particle image.
- Serge Haroche's experiments on single photons in cavities illustrate quantum decoherence phenomena.
- The localization of photons is challenging, with even rapid de-excitations leading to delocalized states.
- The photon is best understood as an elementary excitation of the quantum electromagnetic field, not a traditional particle.
- Questions about photons slowing down in materials or following laws like Snell-Descartes are irrelevant when considering them as excitations.
- The exchange of photons as mediators of electromagnetic forces should not be interpreted as literal ball tossing between particles.
- Understanding photons as excitations in quantum fields helps clarify their nature and why Willis Lamb questioned their existence.
- Acknowledgment to educational channels like 3Blue1Brown, Looking Glass Universe, and Huygens Optics for inspiring the exploration of the photon concept.
