Wave Nature of Radiation

and Matter
By
PRINCE AHMAD
GANAI
Prince_ganai@yahoo.co.uk
Room No:326 Top Floor- Main Block
Department Of Physics – NIT Srinagar
Hello: 9797085181

Department of Physics-NIT
01/21/09
Srinagar
 Scientific
Method
Includes several interdependent steps:
* Observations * Controlled Experiments
* Qualitative and Quantitative Reasoning
• Mathematical Modeling * Predictions

• Verification/Falsification of Theories

Speculation and conjecture also have a place

in science; but ultimately, an acceptable
scientific theory must be verified by relevant
observations and experiments.

Department Of Physics -NIT

01/21/09
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Physics: Theory
Experiment
 “Physics is a systematic attempt to
understand natural phenomena in
as much depth and detail as
possible, and use this knowledge to
predict, modify and control
phenomena.”
 Theories are constructed to explain
experimental facts…
 Trying to answer the question
‘HOW’ (and not ‘WHY’) things
happen in nature…
Department Of Physics -NIT
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 Evolution of
Physics
Physics has a history of synthesizing
many phenomena into a few theories:
Motion
Heat Newton
Sound
Light Electricity
Maxwell Magnetism

Gravity

Department Of Physics -NIT

01/21/09
Srinagar
 Recap: Classical
Mechanics
Newton’s laws of Motion:

Second Law Measures The Force

F=ma
Equation of motion:

M d2x/dt2 = Force

F=Mg [Gravitational Force]

F=Q[E+VxB] { Lorentz
Force}
Job:
 x(t), given x(0).
 Deterministic
Department Of Physics -NIT
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Srinagar
 Relativity

Theory of how physics

will appear to different
observers who are
moving at some
uniform velocity with
respect to one another.

Department Of Physics -NIT

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What is Light?

Newton: Light was made up of particles

(“corpuscles”)

He was right, but the reasoning that

he used to come to that decision was
erroneous.

Department Of Physics -NIT

01/21/09
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Wave Theory Of
Light
 Huygens Concept of Light
Waves.
 Maxwell's Equations
 Interference
 Diffraction
 Polarization
 Light waves part of
Electromagnetic Spectrum.
 Now we use light for
01/21/09
communication
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 Particle Effect

Einstein (1905): The photoelectric

effect was thought to be the most
direct and convincing evidence of
the existence of photons and the
'corpuscular' nature of light and
electromagnetic radiation.

Department Of Physics -NIT

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Srinagar
 The Nobel Prize in
Physics 1921
“for his services to Theoretical
Physics, and especially for his
discovery of the law of the
photoelectric effect”.

Einstein (1879 – 1955)

Department Of Physics -NIT

01/21/09
Srinagar
Other
Experiments
 Compton Effect.
 X-ray Production.

 Pair-Production.

Department Of Physics -NIT

01/21/09
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 What is Light?
Waves!
“Partial Reflection”  4% of the photons
are reflected by the front surface of a
glass slab while the other 96% are
transmitted into.
Difficulty: How does a single photon
“know” which of the two possible
paths it should take when it hits the
glass surface?
How does it “make up its mind”?
DEEP MYSTERY!!
Department Of Physics -NIT
01/21/09
Srinagar
What is Light??
 Newton’s corpuscular theory was not
satisfactory. Partial Reflection could be
explained by a theory of waves, but the wave
theory could not explain Photoelectric Effect.

 So there was a period in

which one had to know which
experiment one was analyzing
in order to tell if light was
waves or particles. This state
of confusion was called the
“Wave-Particle Duality” of
light !
Department Of Physics -NIT
01/21/09
Srinagar
Quantum Optics
 “Light was waves on Mondays,
Wednesdays and Fridays; it was particles
on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays;
and on Sundays, we think about it!”

 Quantum Optics reconciles the particle

properties of light with the wave nature.

Department Of Physics -NIT

01/21/09
Srinagar
 Wave Properties of
Particles
 In 1924, Louis de Broglie postulated that
because photons have wave and particle
characteristics, perhaps all forms of matter
have both properties
 For instance, for a photon:

hc E hc h h
E  hf  thus p   or 
 c c  p
 De Broglie suggested that this formula is
true for any particle! Thus, the frequency
and wavelength of matter waves can be h
determined. I.e. de Broglie wavelength of a 
particle is mv

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Wave Properties of
Particles
 The frequency of matter waves
can also be determined

E  hf
E
ƒ
h

Department Of Physics -NIT

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Srinagar
The Davisson-Germer
Experiment
 They scattered low-energy electrons from a nickel target

 They followed this with extensive diffraction

measurements from various materials

 The wavelength of the electrons calculated from

the diffraction data agreed with the expected de
Broglie wavelength

 This confirmed the wave nature of electrons

 Other experimenters have confirmed the wave nature of

other particles
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Srinagar
The Electron Microscope
 The electron microscope
depends on the wave
characteristics of electrons
 Microscopes can only
resolve details that are
slightly smaller than the
wavelength of the
radiation used to
illuminate the object
 The electrons can be
accelerated to high
energies and have small
wavelengths Department Of Physics -NIT
01/21/09
Srinagar
Birth of Quantum
Mechanics
 Electron Theory of Matter (1900):
Electrons + Nucleus  Failure of
Classical Laws
 Quantum Mechanics (1926-27
Schroedinger, Heisenberg, Born):
Nonrelativistic
Invented to explain the strange and
classically inexplicable behavior of
atoms and molecules  the
spectrum of light they emitted…
Department Of Physics -NIT
01/21/09
Srinagar
The Wave Function
 In 1926 Schrödinger proposed a wave
equation that describes the manner in
which matter waves change in space and
time
 Schrödinger’s wave equation is a key

element in quantum mechanics
i  H
t

 Schrödinger’s wave equation is generally

solved for the wave function, Ψ

 The wave function depends on the

particle’s position and the time

Department Of Physics -NIT

01/21/09
Srinagar
The Wave
Function

 The value of |Ψ|2 at some

location at a given time is
proportional to the probability
of finding the particle at that
location at that time

Department Of Physics -NIT

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 Quantum
Mechanics
1. The question – how a photon chooses
its path given some alternative – is
operationally meaningless.
All we can predict from theory is that
out of 100 photons that come down,
an average of 4 will be reflected by
the front surface.

Department Of Physics -NIT

01/21/09
Srinagar
The Uncertainty
Principle
 When measurements are made, the
experimenter is always faced with
experimental uncertainties in the
measurements

 Classical mechanics offers no fundamental barrier to

ultimate refinements in measurements
 Classical mechanics would allow for measurements
with arbitrarily small uncertainties

Department Of Physics -NIT

01/21/09
Srinagar
The Uncertainty
Principle
 Quantum mechanics predicts that a barrier to
measurements with ultimately small uncertainties
does exist

 In 1927 Heisenberg introduced the uncertainty

principle

 If a measurement of position of a particle is made with

precision Δx and a simultaneous measurement of linear
momentum is made with precision Δp, then the product
of the two uncertainties can never be smaller than h/4π

Department Of Physics -NIT

01/21/09
Srinagar
The Uncertainty
Principle
 Mathematically,
h
∆x∆px ≥
4π
 It is physically impossible to
measure simultaneously the exact
position and the exact linear
momentum of a particle

 Another form of the principle

h
deals
∆E∆t ≥
with energy and time:
4π

Department Of Physics -NIT

01/21/09
Srinagar
Thought Experiment –
the Uncertainty Principle
 A thought experiment for viewing
an electron with a powerful
microscope
 In order to see the electron, at
least one photon must bounce off
it
 During this interaction,
momentum is transferred from the
photon to the electron
 Therefore, the light that allows
you to accurately locate the
electron changes the momentum
of the electron

Department Of Physics -NIT

01/21/09
Srinagar
Quantum
Mechanics…

QM demanded a whole
change in philosophy:

Determinism of classical physics  QM

predictability which can at best be
probabilistic, with an intrinsic indeterminacy
(Uncertainty Principle) –
Conceptual Problems...

Department Of Physics -NIT

01/21/09
Srinagar
Quantum
Mechanics…
 Physics has been
“reduced” to calculating
only the probability of an
event, and not predicting
exactly what will happen!!
Nature permits us to
calculate only
probabilities.

Department Of Physics -NIT

01/21/09
Srinagar
Quantum
Mechanics…
This crazy model of the world can explain
all the simple properties of light --
Light goes in straight lines;
When light reflects off a mirror, the
angle of incidence is equal to the angle
of reflection;
Refraction;
Interference;
Diffraction;
and so on...

Department Of Physics -NIT

01/21/09
Srinagar
Where to?
Superposition principle 
Schroedinger’s cat paradox…
Against “common sense”… but
has no experimental doubt
about it.
Use the “superposition state”
to build a Quantum
Computer?!
Immense parallel-processing
machine…
Department Of Physics -NIT
01/21/09
Srinagar
Where to?
Atomic Physics.
Interaction between
matter /radiation
Super fluids
Superconductors
Semiconductor Physics
Condensed matter Physics
Nuclear and particle Physics
Nano-Physics
Computational Physics
Department Of Physics -NIT
01/21/09
Srinagar
Our Group:

 Testing Quantum Mechanics at

Low Energy .
 Studying Nuclear Structure.
 Extreme case of neutron and
proton rich light nuclei.
 Our Recent Contribution
 Phys Rev C 77 –014303 APS

Department Of Physics -NIT

01/21/09
Srinagar
Moral of the
story…

Theory Experiment 
Applications
Scientific Methods continue!

Department Of Physics -NIT

01/21/09
Srinagar
 Than
ks

Department Of Physics -NIT

01/21/09
Srinagar