The birth of the light quanta- “licht quanten ” in their original version- is rightfully associated with the article [1] published by Albert Einstein in 1905, “An heuristic point of view about the production and transformation of light”. Interestingly, several points expressed in a very collegial style in this article were exposed again in a more direct, “einsteinian ” style, in a conference [2] that Einstein gave in Salzburg on september 21, 1909. This conference, entitled “The evolution of our conceptions about the nature and the constitution of radiation ” reveals, and to some extend completes, the way of thinking that lead Einstein to the 1905 papers on relativity and radiation. For instance, in 1909 Einstein gives again the list of open problems in the radiation theory, which briefly alluded to in the 1905 article. These problems were: 1. why does the appearance of a photochemical reaction depends only on the colour of light, and not on its intensity? 2. why is short wavelength radiation generally more active chemically than long wavelength radiation? 3. why is the kinetic energy of cathode rays (electrons) produced by the photoelectric effect independant on the light intensity?
The birth of the light quanta- “licht quanten ” in their original version- is rightfully associated with the article [1] published by Albert Einstein in 1905, “An heuristic point of view about the production and transformation of light”. Interestingly, several points expressed in a very collegial style in this article were exposed again in a more direct, “einsteinian ” style, in a conference [2] that Einstein gave in Salzburg on september 21, 1909. This conference, entitled “The evolution of our conceptions about the nature and the constitution of radiation ” reveals, and to some extend completes, the way of thinking that lead Einstein to the 1905 papers on relativity and radiation. For instance, in 1909 Einstein gives again the list of open problems in the radiation theory, which briefly alluded to in the 1905 article. These problems were: 1. why does the appearance of a photochemical reaction depends only on the colour of light, and not on its intensity? 2. why is short wavelength radiation generally more active chemically than long wavelength radiation? 3. why is the kinetic energy of cathode rays (electrons) produced by the photoelectric effect independant on the light intensity?
In the absence of any reliable document, from which Einsteins ideas on relativity prior to 1905 could uniquely be drawn, we are forced to make assumptions. If many historians (J. Norton, O. Darrigol, ) have privileged an electromagnetic origin, others like A. Miller have emphasized the role of light quanta. Ill come back on some evidences that the March quanta have played a role in the June and September 1905 relativity papers and reciprocally that the relativity principle may have influenced Einsteins reflexions on free moving quanta. From both a scientific and an historical perspective, the association of quanta and relativity is indeed natural if one has in mind Plancks work on the black body radiation and Poincarés contribution Lorentz theory and the reaction principle to the Lorentz Jubilee, which both occurred in mid-December 1900. As well known, the former introduced fixed energy quanta and the latter (quoted by Einstein in 1906) opened the way to a dynamical and relativistic (at first order in v/c) account of the electromagnetic field behaviour. But unknown, Poincarés paper also exhibited at this order the same transformation law for the energy and the frequency of an electromagnetic plane wave of finite length. If Einstein remarked this before 1906 (which is not proved), it may have encouraged his thinking of moving quanta. We would then meet the point of view expressed by R. Penrose in his preface of J. Stachels book Einsteins miraculous year, that it is virtually inconceivable that [Einstein] would have put forward two papers [March/June] in the same year which depended upon hypothetical views [particle/wave] of Nature that he felt were in contradiction with each other. March, June and September 1905 Einstein's papers would constitute a remarkable synthesis, in a fully original and new epistemological view, of Planck's 1900 work on the interaction between matter and radiation and Poincarés 1900 paper on the relativistic dynamics of charges and the electromagnetic field.
In 2005 we celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the publication of five seminal papers by Albert Einstein establishing the basis of three fundamental fields of physics: the theory of relativity, quantum theory and the theory of Brownian motion. This happened at a time when the reality of atoms and molecules was still far from certain. The microscopic view Einstein took of molecular motion led to the calculation of Avogadro's number and the size of molecules by studying the motion of small particles in liquids. Combining kinetic theory and classical thermodynamics finally led Einstein to the conclusion that the displacement of a microparticle under Brownian motion varies as the square root of time. The experimental demonstration of this law three years later was considered as the striking proof that atoms and molecules are physically real. Today single atoms are probed directly in experiments, and we are able to observe the individual paths of colliding or dissociating particles. These new techniques are described in some of the papers of this issue in a very impressive way. An even more exciting development was initiated with the demonstration of Bose–Einstein condensation of dilute gases of ultracold atoms, a phenomenon first predicted by Einstein in papers published between 1916 and 1924. The first paper of Einstein's famous series of 1905, 'On an heuristic point of view about the creation and conversion of light', was an explanation of the photoelectric effect, demonstrated in several experiments over the previous few years. The explanation was based on the quantum hypothesis introduced by Max Planck five years earlier, and was considered as an additional and important proof of Planck's hypothesis. Today quantum theory and photons are the basis for much of modern science and technology. We have learned to experiment with single photons, and we have demonstrated the advantages of information transfer by single photons. Photons permit new and incredibly precise time and frequency standards. These are not only technically important, but may also lead to even more stringent tests of relativity and other fundamental laws and concepts of physics. Examples of these applications and many other uses of modern optics are discussed in this issue. Special relativity, the third of Einstein's 1905 topics, has always been closely connected with atomic, molecular and optical physics. Today atomic physics provides some of the most stringent tests of special relativity. Furthermore, fast electron beams are used in advanced light sources such as synchrotron radiation generators and free electron lasers. Those aspects and related applications are also discussed here. We hope that this special issue will be of great interest to the reader by highlighting recent advances in atomic, molecular and optical physics. This field continues to provide one of the most fertile areas for research one hundred years after it first emerged from the work of Einstein published in 1905, his 'miraculous year'.
The idea of the photon has stirred the imaginations of physicists ever since 1905 when Einstein originally proposed the use of light quanta to explain the photoelectric effect. This concept is formalized in the quantum theory of radiation, which has had unfailing success in explaining the interaction of electromagnetic radiation with matter, seemingly limited only by the ability of physicists to perform the indicated calculations. Nevertheless, it has its conceptual problems—various infinities and frequent misinterpretations. Consequently an increasing number of workers are asking, “to what extent is the quantized field really necessary and useful?” In fact the experimental results of the photoelectric effect were explained by G. Wentzel in 1927 without the quantum theory of radiation. Similarly most electro-optic phenomena such as stimulated emission, reaction of the emitted field on the emitting atom, resonance fluorescence, and so on, do not require the quantization of the field for their explanation. As we will see, these processes can all be quantitatively explained and physically understood in terms of the semiclassical theory of the matter–field interaction in which the electric field is treated classically while the atoms obey the laws of quantum mechanics. The quantized field is fundamentally required for accurate descriptions of certain processes involving fluctuations in the electromagnetic field: for example, spontaneous emission, the Lamb shift, the anomalous magnetic moment of the electron, and certain aspects of blackbody radiation. (The Compton effect also fits here, but see later under references 8b and c.) Here we will outline how the photon concept originated and developed, where it is not required and is often misused, and finally where it plays an essential role in the understanding of physical phenomena. In our discussion we will attempt to give a logically consistent definition of the word “photon”—a statement far more necessary than one might think, for so many contradictory uses exist of this elusive beast. In particular consider the original coining of the word by G. N. Lewis: “[because it appears to spend] only a minute fraction of its existence as a carrier of radiant energy, while the rest of the time it remains an important structural element within the atom…, I therefore take the liberty of proposing for this hypothetical new atom which is not light but plays an essential part in every process of radiation, the name photon!” (our exclamation point). Clearly the present usage of the word is very different.
In 1905, Albert Einstein showed that the photoelectric effect could be explained by the hypothesis that the energy of a light beam was distributed in discrete bundles, later known as photons. Photon-counting experiments provide a fairly direct measurement of the photon probability distribution for all kinds of light embraced by the quantum theory. The field of quantum optics occupies a central position involving the interaction of atoms with the electromagnetic field. Young's experiment is one example of a phenomenon that can be explained by both classical and quantum theory. In Young's experiment, each photon must be capable of interfering with itself in such a way that its probability of striking the second screen at a particular point is proportional to the calculated intensity at that point. Multiphoton transitions are found whenever electrons bound in atoms or molecules interact with sufficiently intense electromagnetic radiation.
We tried to introduce the idea of quantization in Chapter 9 as a completion of a one semester course. However, we skipped over some really interesting events in the history of Science between 1900 and 1913 when Bohr derived the quantized energy of the H atom. First we want to carry out the 1901 Planck derivation of the formula for blackbody radiation [1]. Many texts just show the curve, write e¼ hn, and move on. As a student, this author found that limited explanation very frustrating since energy quantization is a fundamental concept. Even among graduate texts in quantum mechanics, we are aware of only one that does the complete treatment which we will draw upon for the mathematics [2] but supplement with a narrative that we have found helpful to students over the years. Then in 1905, Albert Einstein (1879-1955), one of the most influential scientists of all time, gave an explanation of the photoelectric effect [3] for which he received the Nobel Prize in 1921. Even reducing our list to essential topics, we need to discuss the Davisson-Germer experiment [4]. The photoelectric effect introduces the idea that light waves can act as particles while the Davisson-Germer experiment showed that particles can act like waves and confirmed the De Broglie equation [5]. However, you can be assured that it will not be as difficult as you might have anticipated and if you can absorb the meaning of just these three key experiments you should be able to begin thinking in terms of quantum mechanics! Despite our slow historical development, this is 2010 and we have to get to the twenty-first century somehow!
Einstein's 1905 paper,in which he proposed the notion of light quanta,is reviewed.The difference between the interacting processes of light with matter and the free propagating processes of light is emphasized. All relevant experiments including photoelectric effect and Compton scattering just show that light manifests as one and other photons in its interacting with matter,but does not so in its free propagating. According to the quantum theory of electromagnetic field, the propagating light is not in the eigenstate of photon number generally,and could not be described by the language of photons.