0 Question: If you isolated a single photon would it still act like a wave or would it just act like a particle? Keywords: particle, photon, subatomic, wave Asked by Dr Professor Kit to Anna, George, Rob, Stefan on 20 Nov 2014.
Anna Scaife answered on 20 Nov 2014:
This is the beauty of quantum physics – it would behave like both!
Rob Appleyard answered on 20 Nov 2014:
Both!
The thing is, if do an experiment to see if a photon is a wave, the answer is ‘yes’. If you do an experiment to see if it’s a particle, the answer is also ‘yes’. Everything is a wave, everything is a particle. Physics is weird like that.
Stefan Lines answered on 20 Nov 2014:
Behold Young’s Double Split Experiment:
http://www.studyphysics.ca/newnotes/20/unit04_light/chp1719_light/lesson58.htm
Dr Professor Kit commented on 20 Nov 2014:
So, even if there was only one it would still move up and down, whilst acting like a particle?
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Stefan commented on 21 Nov 2014:
In a way yes. A single photon can interfere with itself to produce the diffraction pattern.
Dr Professor Kit commented on 21 Nov 2014:
How would it get energy though?
Comments
Dr Professor Kit commented on :
So, even if there was only one it would still move up and down, whilst acting like a particle?
Stefan commented on :
In a way yes. A single photon can interfere with itself to produce the diffraction pattern.
Dr Professor Kit commented on :
How would it get energy though?