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Chapter Four
Why does a photon behave at times like a particle and at other times like a wave?
The answer to this question can be found by examining the resonant "structures" defined in Chapter two responsible for the particle characteristics of a photon and the matter wave that Chapter three showed was responsible for the propagation of a photon's energy.
Chapter two derived the particle characteristics of a photon in terms of the discrete energy associated with a resonant "system" formed in space by oscillations in a continuous non-quantized form of mass.
Chapter three defined the resonant "system" of a photon in terms of the characteristics of a matter wave moving in a continuous non-quantized form of mass.
(Louis de Broglie was the first to theorize that all particles had a wave component. His theories were confirmed by the discovery of electron diffraction by crystals in 1927 by Davisson and Germer. However, this means there must be a continuous non-quantized medium for it to be propagated on because even the smallest possible particle must have a wave component. Therefore, there must exist a continuous non-quantized medium to propagate the wave of the smallest possible particle. However, macroscopic observations of wave energy indicate that it can only be propagated on a medium made up of mass. Therefore, the success of Louis de Broglie theory indicates that a continuous non-quantized form of mass exists.)
Therefore, Chapters two and three define a common mechanism responsible for both the particle and wave characteristics of a photon in terms of a resonant "system" caused by a matter wave in a continuous non-quantized form of mass.
The photoelectric effect demonstrates one of the particle characteristics of a photon.
The photoelectric effect is the emission of electrons from matter upon the absorption of electromagnetic energy. The emission of electrons from matter is observed to begin as soon as the electromagnetic energy strikes it.
This supports the particle aspect of a photon because wave theory predicts delayed emissions of electrons. In addition, it was observed that varying the intensity of the light does not change the velocity of the electrons ejected but only their numbers.
Einstein based his quantum or particle theory of electromagnetic radiation, in part, on these photoelectric observations. He realized these observations could only be explained by assuming photons consist of discrete "packets" or quanta of energy that is depended on their frequency.
The reason delayed emission is not observed in the photoelectric effect is because, as mentioned earlier Chapter two showed the energy of individual photons is the result of a resonant "system" caused by oscillations in a continuous non-quantized form of mass
Therefore, the energy of a specific photon would be directly dependent on the frequency of the resonant "system" that defines its energy.
If the energy associated with a resonant "system" of a photon of a given frequency is sufficient it will instantly eject an individual electron off a photoelectric surface.
The velocity of an electron leaving a photoelectric surface is not affected by the intensity of the light because varying its intensity will only cause an increase or decrease in the number of photons of a specific frequency striking the photoelectric surface. Since the energy of the resonate "system" associated with a photon of is directly dependent on it's frequency, the energy and therefore the velocity of electrons ejected off the surface of a photoelectric material by photons with identical frequencies will also be identical.
However, increasing or decreasing the intensity of the light striking the photoelectric surface will increase or decrease the number of elections ejected from the surface because the number of resonate "structures" of sufficient energy to eject electrons from the surface will increase or decrease.
Therefore, the particle characteristics of a photon associated with the photoelectric effect can be explained in terms of a resonate "system" generated by a matter wave in a continuous non-quantized form of mass.
However, light also posses the non-particle characteristics of a wave.
Thomas Young demonstrated this in an experiment using a light source in front of a screen containing two slits. Each of the slits could be covered individually. On the other side of screen was a wall against which the light coming through the slits could shine on.
When a very dim light was shined on the screen with one hole covered, the light impacts the wall in a line between the source and hole in the screen. However, when both holes are open the light impacts the wall generating an interference pattern that is characteristic of a wave. This interference pattern is generated even when a very dim light consisting of series of single photons are allowed to pass thought a screen with two slits.
Additionally when a device was used to determine which silt the individual photons passed thought the interference disappeared. This indicates that act of measuring which silt a photon passes result in destroying the interference pattern.
This appears to contradict the particle characteristics of a photon because a series of individual photons can generate an interference pattern associated with a wave when passing thought a screen with two slits, therefore, each individual photon, also posses the characteristics of a wave.
The wave characteristics of individual photons is due to the fact that its energy, as was shown in Chapter three is propagated though space by a resonant "system" generated by a matter wave in a continuous non-quantized form of mass.
When a single photon passes through a screen with a single slit, the spatial component associated with the wavelength of its resonant "system" can only be transmitted along velocity vector of the photon and the direction of the photon will not be altered. The photon will strike the screen on straight line between the source and hole in the screen.
However, a “torque” will be generated on a single photon if it is allowed to pass though one slit in a screen with two opened slits because the spatial component associated with the wavelength of its resonant "system" can simultaneously pass or be transmitted through the two spatially separated slits in the screen. This will generate a torque on the direction of a photon after passing through the silts in the screen because of the different spatial path lengths between the slits.
Because the resonant "system" of a photon is transmitted by a matter wave, the orientation of its spatial component will vary sinusoidally with respect to time. This means the direction of the “torque” and therefore the direction of the photon as it moves through the two slits will vary sinusoidally with respect to time.
Therefore, a series of single individual photons passing through a screen with two opened slits will generate a interference pattern on the screen because the torque generated by the sinusoidal varying direction of the spatial component associated with a matter wave will cause a sinusoidal variation in the direction of each photon that transverses the screen.
This is the mechanism responsible for the wave characteristics of individual photons as observed in the Thomas Young experiment.
However, when attempts are made to measure which slit a photon passed through the interference pattern disappears and it behaves like a particle.
This is because attempts to measure which silt a photon passes through changes the characteristics of the matter wave passing through that slit. Therefore, that component of the matter wave responsible for its resonant "structure" will no longer interfere with component that is passing though the other slit. This will result in the collapse of the wave function and the disappearance of the interference pattern that is observed when no attempt is made to determine which slit the photon passed through.
Therefore defining the propagation of a photon in terms of a resonant matter wave in a continuous non-quantized form of mass answers the question "Why does a photon behave at times like a particle and at other times like a wave?"
“The
universe's most powerful enabling tool is
not knowledge or understanding
but Imagination
Jeffrey O'Callaghan