Table of Contents
Can a single electron interfere with itself?
Yes, electrons can be brought to interfere with themselves. This can actually be shown in a double slit experiment, just as with photons. The electron you are thinking of is a localized particle in space. Instead, you have to consider the electron’s position as a wave function.
What happens when an electron and photon collide?
The Compton effect is the name given by physicists to the collision between a photon and an electron. The photon bounces off a target electron and loses energy. These collisions referred as elastic compete with the photoelectric effect when gamma pass through matter. Compton received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1927.
How can a single photon or electron diffract?
It is not possible for a single photon to produce a diffraction pattern. However, this is only because it would be impossible to extrapolate a pattern with only one data point. So as the single photon’s wave function passes through the slits it is diffracted and interferes with itself.
Can an electron be by itself?
Most of us know that the electron is a negatively charged particle that orbits the nucleus in an atom of matter. No two electrons can occupy the same space at the same time. They are part of every atom but they can exist separately on their own as well. You can shoot a beam of electrons at a target for example.
Is photon a wave or a particle?
Einstein believed light is a particle (photon) and the flow of photons is a wave. The main point of Einstein’s light quantum theory is that light’s energy is related to its oscillation frequency.
How does the scattering of a photon affect an electron?
Colliding photons transfer some of their energy and momentum to the electrons, which in turn recoil. In the instant of the collision, new photons of less energy and momentum are produced that scatter at angles the size of which depends on the amount of energy lost to the recoiling electrons.
How does a photon diffract?
A single photon would be diffracted after passing Young’s double slit and interfere on a screen. This is because a single photon would act like wave (not a dot/particle, but wave) and diffract with itself.
What happens to an electron during an electron transition?
Atomic electron transition is a change (or jump) of an electron from one energy level to another within an atom or artificial atom. Electron transitions cause the emission or absorption of electromagnetic radiation in the form of quantized units called photons.
How can a photon interfere with itself?
Take an interferometer with two nearly equal paths and observe interference. As soon as a photon has a limited length itself, it can interfere with itself only if the path difference is inferior to its own length. Otherwise it cannot. The trick is to have a superposition of waves at the same time.
Can electrons interfere with themselves in a double slit?
For this to happen, the electron (which has mass and experiences time the way we do) has to be physically present at two locations at the same time (in both slits). Yes, electrons can be brought to interfere with themselves. This can actually be shown in a double slit experiment, just as with photons.
Can electrons be brought to interfere with themselves?
Yes, electrons can be brought to interfere with themselves. This can actually be shown in a double slit experiment, just as with photons. The electron you are thinking of is a localized particle in space.
What happens when an electron is excited by a photon?
While excited, a second photon is used to excite the electron further. In experiments, this results in two photons being generated that leave the atom. The two photons will be identical in energy, spin and polarization. Starting with #1 (figure below), an already-excited electron is struck by a photon.