My understanding is that each photon has a phase associated with it.
The wave properties of light are evident when many photons form a
coherent flux in which the phases of the individual photons vary in
time and space according to the equation for a wave.
When a coherent source emits such a coherent flux of photons, the
frequency of the wave associated with the coherent flux is related
to the energy of a photon according to the Einstein relation: E = hf.
Thus, the frequency is associated with the flux, not an individual
photon.
Daniel Crowe
Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics
Ardmore Regional Center
dcrowe@sotc.org
-----Original Message-----
From: Bob LaMontagne [mailto:rlamont@POSTOFFICE.PROVIDENCE.EDU]
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2003 3:30 PM
To: PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu
Subject: Re: The Electron
I agree that the electron is an enigmatic entity, but what I find even
more difficult to accept is the association of a specific frequency with
a photon of light. I can't imagine any possible mechanism that could
connect an oscillation to something traveling at a speed c. Each of us
probably thinks that there is one key problem in quantum mechanics -
that if we understood this one thing the rest would be easy. I suspect
we're fooling ourselves :-)