Abstract The method developed in previous works for building the photon wave function in configuration representation is briefly described. The simulation of such function (wave packet) appropriate to femtosecond laser radiation, using the distribution of Gauss of photon momenta in the state of a single laser impulse is expounded. By other appropriate simulated wave function of photon the light interference in Young’s experiment is explained within the frame of quantum mechanics without the attraction of transition probability amplitudes used in approach of quantum electrodynamics. This allows us considering interference phenomena for photons and particles from the same basis of the quantum-mechanical principle of superposition employed to the wave function built in the configuration space. Using the building apparatus of photon quantum mechanics, the Malus law postulated in quantum theory is justified. The relevance of new experiments to study the interaction of quantum objects between themselves and the physical vacuum, which would reveal the origins of the mathematical description of quantum states using the wave function of these quantum objects, is substantiated. It is suggested that the ideas of constructing the wave function of a free photon in the coordinate representation can find relevance in the field of quantum cryptography.
Abstract The method developed in previous works for building the photon wave function in configuration representation is briefly described. The simulation of such function (wave packet) appropriate to femtosecond laser radiation, using the distribution of Gauss of photon momenta in the state of a single laser impulse is expounded. By other appropriate simulated wave function of photon the light interference in Young’s experiment is explained within the frame of quantum mechanics without the attraction of transition probability amplitudes used in approach of quantum electrodynamics. This allows us considering interference phenomena for photons and particles from the same basis of the quantum-mechanical principle of superposition employed to the wave function built in the configuration space. Using the building apparatus of photon quantum mechanics, the Malus law postulated in quantum theory is justified. The relevance of new experiments to study the interaction of quantum objects between themselves and the physical vacuum, which would reveal the origins of the mathematical description of quantum states using the wave function of these quantum objects, is substantiated. It is suggested that the ideas of constructing the wave function of a free photon in the coordinate representation can find relevance in the field of quantum cryptography.
The basic principles of quantum mechanics of the photon, describing its single-particle states by means of the wave function in the coordinate representation are given.This wave function is a wave packet constructed by the superposition of the basic bivectors which are eigenfunctions of the operators of energy, momentum and helicity.The results of modeling in the space-time of such wave packet with a Gaussian distribution on the momentum of the photon corresponding femtosecond laser radiation are discussed.On the basis of the general ideas about the evolution of this packet and within the framework of the constructed photon quantum mechanics the quantum-mechanical approach is proposed to explain the wave phenomena exhibited by light such as the light interference in Young's experiment.It is emphasized that actually the photon isn't some "created" quantum corpuscle, but it's a quasi-particle that is a result of the propagation of spin waves in physical vacuum, the nature of which should be considered at the Planck distances simultaneously with the structure of the leptons and other fundamental particles.
The formation of an obvious interference pattern in the distribution of the probability of the simultaneous hit of two alone photons radiated synchronously from two independent single-photon sources, playing the slits role of Young's experiment first screen, at different points of the second screen, is demonstrated by modeling the photon coordinate wave function. This function is single-photon wave packet built within the framework of the developed quantum mechanics of the photon in previous authors works, which expresses a superposition of six-component “plane waves with circular polarization” - the eigenfunctions of the operators of photon momentum, of its energy and helicity. The results received make it eventual to justify the description of one-and two-photon interference in framework of “primary” quantization of the electromagnetic field, without resorting to the probability amplitudes of quantum field theory, which, in turn, makes it possible to develop a metaphysical interpretation of experiments with single photons, such as quantum computing, quantum teleportation, quantum cryptography. It seems that this interpretation can serve as an impetus for the development of new practical devices and the setting up of new experiments to reveal the physical nature of quantum interactions through the exchange of photons and, in particular, the physical essence displayed by the idea of quantum object wave function.
Abstract The general results of constructing and modeling the photon wave function in the coordinate representation in the framework of quantum mechanics are presented in order to explain single-photon interference phenomena, in particular Young’s experiment. The relevance of this function is emphasized in connection with modern single-photon and two-photon experiments. The necessity of replacing the explanation of obtaining coherent light sources using the concept of a train of supposedly real electromagnetic waves emitted by one atom, by the conditional emission by this atom of the photon wave function in the coordinate representation, which then experiences diffraction and interference, is substantiated. A single-photon wave function is simulated based on the consideration of the electric dipole radiation of an atom in classical electrodynamics, and a conclusion is drawn on the possibility to explain Young’s experiment. It is argued that although the photon wave function (as well as of particles having mass) is not a physical object, the application of this function significantly weakens the problem of wave-particle duality of light. It is assumed the “nature” of this function reflects the properties of a physical vacuum, but new experiments are required to clarify it.
Introduction: In the rapidly developing areas of photonics associated with quantum teleportation of photons, quantum cryptography, and quantum computing, ideas are becoming increasingly relevant about the certain localized states of single or several entangled photons moving in space and time. As is known, in quantum mechanics, localized states of particles can only be described using wave functions in coordinate representation – the corresponding wave packets. Aims: To explain Young's one- and two-photon experiments using coordinate 6-component quantum mechanical and 1-component quasi-classical photon wave functions. Methods: The article outlines the method developed in authors' previous work in constructing the 6-component coordinate wave function of free photons in the form of the wave packet (an integral over the entire momentum space and sum over two possible values +1 and -1 of the helicity). The basis functions are the circularly polarized monochromatic waves, corresponding to certain values of the momentum, helicity, and photon energy operators and forming a complete orthonormal set of generalized eigenfunctions of these operators. This photon wave function (PWF) is normalized to the unit probability of finding the photon anywhere in space. Both the basis functions and the coordinate PWF satisfy a Schrödinger-type equation derived from the Maxwell-Lorentz equations written in quantum mechanical form first introduced by Majorana. Then the results of modeling and consideration of the space-time evolution of the wave packet with Gaussian momentum distribution corresponding to the directed photon emission for 80 fs are briefly presented. Further, in view of the possibility of constructing the coordinate PWF, the basic formula for the waveparticle duality of photons and particles is formulated. It is emphasized that the photon is fundamentally different from “ordinary” particles, since, according to the authors, the photon is the result of the propagation of a certain complex spin wave in a physical vacuum, the details of which can only be considered simultaneously with the study of the structure of the physical vacuum at Planckian distances. Results: Young`s one- and two-photon experiments are explained using various options for modeling 6-component coordinate PWFs, including approximate functions corresponding to spherically symmetric and electric dipole photon radiation. Conclusion: This explanation is illustrated using specific examples of radiation and, at the same time, is compared with numerical simulations for spherically symmetric radiation and the use of 1-component quasi-classical PWFs.
The main principles of photon quantum mechanics describing its one-particle states with the help of the wave function in coordinate representations are given.This wave function (packet) is the superposition of the basic bivectors that are generalized eigenfunctions of energy, momentum, and helicity operators.The quantum-mechanical approach is offered for an explanation of the interference Young's experiment.This explanation is especially important for new interpretation of the non-laser method of obtaining the interference by the amplitude division, as in this case it is traditionally assumed that the radiation of one light train of a single atom interferes with itself.In our explanation, not both "halves" of some real train ("scrap") of the electromagnetic wave interfere with each other, but the both terms of the photon's wave function do this.Nevertheless, the wave function is not directly measured by experience, and therefore it does not exist as a physical object.The attraction of the wave function to the explanation of single-photon interference obtained "by the division of the wave front" is obviously also necessary.Therefore, the situation for the photons emitted by individual atoms (and also, obviously, by laser), is absolutely similar to the situation with the particles having mass, whose distribution in space is described by wave function in coordinate representation.It is pointed out that in fact the photon is not some "formed" quantum particle, but it is a quasi-particle arising when a certain spin wave propagates in a physical vacuum at Planck distances.
Abstract The main provisions of the construction of the single-particle wave function of a photon in the coordinate representation are expounded and its application to the description of single-photon interference phenomena is discussed. The connection between the concepts of electromagnetic field strengths used in quantum electrodynamics and the characteristics of wave packets in photon quantum mechanics is substantiated. For illustration, we consider the relationship between the structure of the photon wave function in coordinate representation and the polarization of photon in the formalism of quantum transition amplitudes. The meaning of the concept of linear polarization of a photon in the state of a wave packet is explained. The wave function is constructed in the coordinate representation of the state of two entangled photons at the exit from a nonlinear crystal by modeling the polarization vectors and Gaussian momentum distribution for each of the photons.