I read the Quanta article on Frank Wizcek. Fascinating scientist who I must admit I’d never heard of ( :O ).
Great website with his articles for the WSJ
About | frankwilczek
10.A Physicist’s Nightmare of the Void - WSJ.pdf - Google Drive
Mere mortals like me will never understand the technical stuff these folks work on. There’s a few dealing with EM. Smart people like this seem so at ease with Maxwell’s equations
Great website with his articles for the WSJ
About | frankwilczek
10.A Physicist’s Nightmare of the Void - WSJ.pdf - Google Drive
Mere mortals like me will never understand the technical stuff these folks work on. There’s a few dealing with EM. Smart people like this seem so at ease with Maxwell’s equations
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The Primakoff Effect can lead to the conversion of an axion to a photon in an electromagnetic field, and vice-versa.
In the above Feynman diagram, a real photon is converted to an axion by the electric field of a nucleus. The virtual photon is the disturbance or 'exchange particle' that enables the conversion.
In the above Feynman diagram, a real photon is converted to an axion by the electric field of a nucleus. The virtual photon is the disturbance or 'exchange particle' that enables the conversion.
What is "it"?The simple question is, is it matter?
Axions have a little bit of mass - where does that mass go to Galu (serious question BTW). Might it be that an atom cannot be excited to a higher state without the presence of Axions which allow the production of photons? Is all the Axion mass converted to energy or does a another particle result maybe with a short life-time?
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Yes, is a virtual photon a particle? Are we not being led to believe there is no such thing as empty space?You're asking if a disturbance in the electromagnetic field is a form of matter?
Sorry, Indra's comment has redirected me...is a virtual photon a particle? Is the "disturbance" made up of particles?
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Your expansion didn't help me, Bonsai.
Perhaps it is your mention of exciting an atom to a higher state with axions which is distracting me.
A typical visible light photon emitted from the hydrogen atom involves an electron transition of at least 1.89eV. The minimum value for a less energetic infrared photon is 0.66eV
In comparison, axions produced in the Sun's core are thought to have an upper energy limit of 0.079eV (95% confidence interval). Axion - Wikipedia
Perhaps it is your mention of exciting an atom to a higher state with axions which is distracting me.
A typical visible light photon emitted from the hydrogen atom involves an electron transition of at least 1.89eV. The minimum value for a less energetic infrared photon is 0.66eV
In comparison, axions produced in the Sun's core are thought to have an upper energy limit of 0.079eV (95% confidence interval). Axion - Wikipedia
ok
An axion has mass (cf Weinberg et al). It interacts with the nucleas of an atom. A photon is produced and (I assume) radiates out from the atom. What happens top the Axion? Has its mass changed? does it disappear and is its rest mass converted to energy? Or does it just remain an Axion and ready to produce another photon?
(BTW, separately I took a quick peak at Wilczek's paper on his website that he co wrote with his PhD advisor Goss when Wilczek was just 21 and for which he earned the Nobel Prize in 2003 - its about 3 pages long!)
An axion has mass (cf Weinberg et al). It interacts with the nucleas of an atom. A photon is produced and (I assume) radiates out from the atom. What happens top the Axion? Has its mass changed? does it disappear and is its rest mass converted to energy? Or does it just remain an Axion and ready to produce another photon?
(BTW, separately I took a quick peak at Wilczek's paper on his website that he co wrote with his PhD advisor Goss when Wilczek was just 21 and for which he earned the Nobel Prize in 2003 - its about 3 pages long!)
Both I and indra have taken pains to assure you that a virtual photon is not a material particle.Yes, is a virtual photon a particle?
As indra says, not all the things in physics that we call 'particles' in are in fact material objects. Some are simply hypothetical doo-dahs invented to try to explain some unexplainable physical phenomenon - like the virtual photon, which was invented to explain the electromagnetic interaction between charged particles such as electrons.
And that's even before we get into wave-particle duality. As noted before in this thread umpteen times, an electron can behave like a material particle in some circumstances and as an immaterial wave in others.
Similarly, a photon (a 'real' one!) can behave either as a particle or a wave,
I prefer to call a photon a wavicle!
What Is the Definition of "Matter" in Physics?In physics, one way to distinguish between mass and matter is to define matter as a substance consisting of particles that exhibit rest mass. Even so, in physics and chemistry, matter exhibits wave-particle duality, so it has properties of both waves and particles.
Why ask me?An axion has mass. It interacts with the nucleas of an atom. A photon is produced and (I assume) radiates out from the atom. What happens top the Axion? Has its mass changed? does it disappear and is its rest mass converted to energy? Or does it just remain an Axion and ready to produce another photon?
I was blissfully unaware of the properties of axions until Steve mentioned the darned particles!
Wikipedia is your friend.So does wave-particle duality render a thing a non-material particle?
Wave–particle duality - Wikipedia
Standard Model - Wikipedia
Note that, by the definition given in that link, a photon (real or otherwise!) does not comprise of matter.okay I'm reading your link now; fascinating
This is because a photon has no rest mass. A photon cannot exist in a stationary state.
Good question!So does wave-particle duality render a thing a non-material particle?
According to quantum physics, even a human being has a wavelength!
Assuming he/she weighs 70 kg, and is being fired at 25 m/s, it's about 3.79 x 10-37 metres.
De Broglie Wavelength Calculator
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