Re: Is photon a wave packet ?

[Brian Whatcott <inet@INTELLISYS.NET>]

I see that Jack seems to be objecting to the word "pattern" rather than
 the interference of a single photon.

I understand this position and agree, though it  here seems to be
associated with a too literal evaluation of e = hf as monochromaticity
i.e. constant e

Respectfully

Brian W


At 01:52 PM 5/15/02, you wrote:
> Misattributing authority does not help.  Note that the beginning of the
> article uses "photons" in the plural.  One photon does not create an
> interference pattern.  A sequence of single photons does.  One photon is
> not the same as a sequence of single photons, no matter how long the delay
> between successive photons in the sequence.  You don't see the pattern
> until many photons have passed through the slits.
>
> "Many" is not the same as "one"!
>
> On Wed, 15 May 2002, Brian Whatcott wrote:
>
> > >On Tue, 14 May 2002, Jack Uretsky wrote:
> > >  Note also that a single photon cannot create an
> > > interference pattern.
> > >  Only a coherent assembly of photons can do that.



> > > It's like the legal principle that a person, acting alone,
> > > can never be guilty of a conspiracy.
> >
> > Jack must be using the word "cannot" in some legal sense with which
> > I am unfamiliar.
> >
> > Here are notes from some "Can do" folks from Princeton, Brown,



>  Cornell, Colgate, UAlberta and Sweden:
> > [Google: "single photon interference"]
> >
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > Photon
> > Interference of a Single Photon. This Page contains
> > information about an experiment done with a ...
> > <imogen.princeton.edu/user/page/single_photon.html>

/snip/

Brian Whatcott
  Altus OK                      Eureka!