Skip to main content

Will Photon crash each other?


Light is composed of particles called photons, and matter is composed of particles called electrons, protons, neutrons. It's only when the mass of a particle gets small enough that its wavelike properties show up. To help understand all this let's look at how light behaves as a wave and as a particle.

There are two kinds of particles:

  1. Bosons, which follow Bose-Einstein statistics, and which can superimpose over each other. They don’t interact with themselves, and you can have an infinite number on the head of a pin. These are mostly the so-called force carriers, which include photons, W and Z bosons (weak force), gluons (strong force) and hypothetically also gravitons. The massless ones (photons, gravitons) have the longest range and travel at the speed of light. Photons are spin 1 (polarized) and gravitons are spin 2 (as gravity is a bidirectional or always attractive field).
  2. Fermions, pretty much everything else, are spin 1/2, and follow Fermi-Dirac statistics, and cannot (normally) occupy the same space, or indeed, not even the same energy state. This is called the Pauli exclusion principle, but the resistance is not infinite and can be collapsed by a black hole. Most Fermions are charged + or -. except for neutrinos.

Bosons which have identical quantum properties (e.g. wavelength) do not have separate identities. This affects the probability of finding them. Consider two photons in a box, and you plan to measure whether you find them in the left half, right half, or one each. The probabilities are as follows:

  • 1/3rd - both photons on the left
  • 1/3rd - both photons on the right
  • 1/3rd - one photon on the left and one on the right

You can think of this being because you cannot label the photons A and B. But in any case it is very mysterious.

Fermions can’t have identical quantum states, so you can label them, and thus there are the following possibilities which are equally probable:

  • 1/4th - A,B on left
  • 1/4th - A on left, B on right
  • 1/4th - B on left, A on right
  • 1/4th - A,B on right

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dont dream Big

Dreaming big is absolutely needed if you are ambitious and want to stay busy working on projects. If you want to spend your life chilled out - then the answer is no. So the first thing is to figure out what do you want out of life: busyness or relaxation. If you’re asking this question I am going to assume you are at least quasi-interested in pursuing an ambitious goal, so with that in mind, I’m going to answer the question -  how  is the best way to pursue a big goal. We hear a lot around ‘dreaming big’, but the crazy part is, rarely do people teach much past that attention grabbing headline. Big dreams - and big results - are lovely on glossy magazine covers, but the reality is far less glamorous. As such, here are the less glamorous parts to dreaming big. a) If you’re going to dream big and work hard, you’re going to have to link your work to a deep emotional driver. Dreaming big means a lot of small failures, and you are going to need additional motivation when things don’...
2 comments
Read more

Falling into Debt Trap: The Importance of Saving and Investing as Income Grows

Introduction: In today's consumer-driven society, it's easy to fall into the debt trap without even realizing it. As our income increases, so does our desire for a better lifestyle. We often succumb to lifestyle creep, where our expenses gradually increase along with our earnings, leaving little room for savings and investments. However, neglecting to save and invest can have long-term consequences on our financial well-being. In this article, we will explore the importance of saving and investing as we earn more, and how to keep lifestyle creep at bay. The Dangers of Lifestyle Creep: Lifestyle creep refers to the gradual increase in spending as our income rises. It's a natural inclination to want nicer things, indulge in luxuries, and enjoy the fruits of our labor. However, without careful financial planning, lifestyle creep can lead to excessive debt and financial instability. As our expenses match or even surpass our income, we find ourselves trapped in a cycle of payche...
1 comment
Read more

The Rising Cost of Education: The Commoditization of School Fees

Introduction: Education is often regarded as the foundation for a successful and prosperous future. Parents work tirelessly to provide their children with the best possible education, believing it to be a gateway to a brighter tomorrow. However, in recent years, the cost of school fees has escalated at an alarming rate, causing significant financial strain on families. This blog aims to shed light on the commoditization of education in India and the role played by Big EdTech firms in exacerbating this issue. The Soaring Costs: The increasing school fees in India have reached unprecedented levels, leaving many parents concerned about their ability to afford quality education for their children. For instance, with school fees amounting to a staggering 3.8 lakhs, which exceeds the median annual salary of an IT fresher, it is evident that education expenses have become exorbitant. While there are more affordable schools available, many parents strive to give their children the best educati...
Post a Comment
Read more