sci.physics.electromag

On Mar 30, 2:53 pm, Randy Poe wrote:
> On Mar 30, 2:21 pm, Ralph Hertle wrote:
>
> > You can't prove that the photon is not a discrete existent and that the
> > appropriate experiments are not possible.
>
> > What facts exist that indicate that the photon actually exists?


> Thousands of experiments. Off the top of my head:
>
> Direct evidence:
>
> Single-photon diffraction experiments, single-photon *anything*
> experiments.
>
> Indirect evidence: blackbody radiation and the photoelectric
> effect, which are inconsistent with un-quantized light. Why
> is there a minimum frequency for the photoelectric electrons
> to be emitted?
>
> Single photons are routinely detected in experiments all
> the time.

Randy is right and the monkey wrench in Ralph's wave-photon theory is
that a photon detector doesn't need to be 100% efficient to detect
photons. It basically just misses a few. And the kick in the butt to
Ralph's double slit idea is that IF you put a detector over one slit
of a double slit, and bring the intensity down to single photon
levels, you find that a photon goes through either one slit or the
other and ALL of it goes through JUST ONE slit! You can tell by the
energy in the photons detected. Wave theory on the other hand would
predict a splitting of the energy. So now is the mystery! You have
BOTH particle and wave properties attached to the this "entity" called
a "photon" and no real model with which to "think" about what might be
going on! The current view that such a model is "impossible" seems to
me to be a cop-out!