The idea that light is both a wave and a particle (duality) is interesting, As a potential theory, what about the idea that light is a phase change from field to photon that is dependent on the phase of the lightwave. If this is true then the number of photons detected should change with the phase of the light. An experiment such as the slit experiment should have different results at different phases of the same coherent monochrome light beam.
Does the slit experiment work with lasers? if so this might be an interesting experiment to try.
Dear Graeme,
The answer to your question is no. The solution to the wave equation for light has a time component as well as spacial component. The phase difference between any two points in space (for a diffraction experiment) will remain fixed, however the phase of the light wave at each point of space is continually changing.
So what you are saying, is that you can't predict the wave phase for any point in space without taking into account time. I would have thought that the wave reflection in a laser would stabilize the phases as they cohere, and that the resonant cavity would mean that you could predict the phase by the wavelength of the light, but if you say this is not so, I will go back and rethink the experiment.
It might be as simple as putting the diffration slits on a drum so that they rotate the distance of a wavelength in the period of a wave.
Graeme,
That is correct you have to take time into account. Phase only make sense when adding (or comparing) one wave with another, which the superposition principle allows one to do. Coherence is the condition that arises when traveling waves are locked together in phase. However, a traveling wave travels in both space and time. Light emitted from a laser is unidirectional, plane polarized, and coherent, which will mean the light in a laser beam is in phase.
Cheers,
John
What you want is the phase angle at which the grating is set to be constant for the experiment to work.
- Badges
- Science topic