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Wave-particle duality in classical mechanics

Alexander Y. Davydov

Published Aug 17, 2016• 4 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

Until recently, wave-particle duality has been thought of as quantum principle without a counterpart in classical physics. This belief was challenged after (i) finding that average dynamics of a classical particle in strong inhomogeneous oscillating field resembles that of a quantum object and (ii) experimental discovery of "walkers" - macroscopic droplets that bounce on a vertically vibrating bath of the same fluid and can self-propell via interaction with the surface waves they generate. This paper exposes a new family of objects that can display both particle and wave features all together while strictly obeying laws of the Newtonian mechanics. In contrast to the previously known duality examples in classical physics, oscillating field or constant inflow of energy are not required for their existence. These objects behave deterministically provided that all their degrees of freedom are known to an observer. If, however, some degrees of freedom are unknown, observer can describe such objects only {\it probabilistically} and they manifest {\it weird} features similar to that of quantum particles. We show new classical counterparts of such quantum phenomena as particle interference, tunneling, above-barrier reflection, trapping on top of a barrier, and spontaneous emission of radiation. In the light of these findings, we hypothesize that quantum mechanics may \emph{emerge} as approximation from a more profound theory on a deeper level.

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Wave-particle duality in classical mechanics

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Until recently, wave-particle duality has been thought of as quantum principle without a counterpart in classical physics. This belief was challenged after (i) finding that average dynamics of a classical particle in a strong inhomogeneous oscillating field resembles that of a quantum object and (ii) experimental discovery of "walkers" - macroscopic droplets that bounce on a vertically vibrating bath of the same fluid and can self-propel via interaction with the surface waves they generate. This paper exposes a new family of objects that can display both particle and wave features all together while strictly obeying laws of the Newtonian mechanics. In contrast to the previously known duality examples in classical physics, oscillating field or constant inflow of energy are not required for their existence. These objects behave deterministically provided that all their degrees of freedom are known to an observer. If, however, some degrees of freedom are unknown, an observer can describe such objects only probabilistically and they manifest weird features similar to that of quantum particles. We show new classical counterparts of such quantum phenomena as particle interference, tunneling, above-barrier reflection, trapping on top of a barrier, and spontaneous emission of radiation. In the light of these findings, we hypothesize that quantum mechanics may emerge as approximation from a more profound theory on a deeper level.

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The simplest but deepest questions of the philosophy of quantum mechanics are these: Are quantum systems waves, or are they particles? Are they both or are they neither? When light bounces an electron out of the surface of an alkali metal it behaves like a particle. Light carries momentum but also a punch. Just as there is no such thing as half a punch, so there is no such thing as half a quantum of light. On the other hand, the shadow formed on a screen by an object has soft edges, edges which get softer as the object is moved away from the screen. Light exhibits the phenomena of diffraction and interference and so is wavelike. This dual behaviour of light, and indeed of matter itself, is called wave-particle duality. The wave nature of a quantum system is reflected in wave mechanics which assigns a wave-function to the system. But the dual nature of light was noticed before Schrodinger developed the wave-mechanical formalism in 1926. In fact, it goes back at least as far as Einsteins explanation of the photoelectric effect in 1905. Wave-particle duality is not something that arises within the quantum mechanical formalism. It is something which is expressed within it, and is something which is best discussed in terms of the paradoxes that quantum experiments force upon physics. In fact, the simplest and most immediately disturbing of the quantummechanical paradoxes arise out of wave-particle duality. We take the two-slit experiment and the delayed-choice experiment as examples.

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Photons and elementary particles display the properties of particle as well as of wave known as Wave Particle Duality. Quantum Theory could not explain Wave Particle Duality only due to the belief that photon has no mass and accepted Wave Particle Duality as reality of quantum scale particles. “Experimental Proof of Mass in Photon” [1] discovered Inertial Force developed by the photons on Reflection. This Inertial Force is developed in the spinning photon from inside due to the mass of photon. These experiments also discovered that the centre of mass of photon was different from the centre of photon. Such presence of mass in a photon developing Inertial Force from within the photon gifts special properties to display Wave Particle Duality, Interference and Polarization etc. These phenomena are explained in this work which could not be explained by the Quantum Theory earlier. This work also confirms mass in photon based on both Newtonian and Special Theory of Relativity. New equations of true mass of photon are also derived.

Journal of Modern Physics•Jan 1, 2016•1 citation
Until recently, wave-particle duality has been thought of as quantum principle without a counterpart in classical physics. This belief was challenged after (i) finding that average dynamics of a classical particle in strong inhomogeneous oscillating field resembles that of a quantum object and (ii) experimental discovery of "walkers" - macroscopic droplets that bounce on a vertically vibrating bath of the same fluid and can self-propell via interaction with the surface waves they generate. This paper exposes a new family of objects that can display both particle and wave features all together while strictly obeying laws of the Newtonian mechanics. In contrast to the previously known duality examples in classical physics, oscillating field or constant inflow of energy are not required for their existence. These objects behave deterministically provided that all their degrees of freedom are known to an observer. If, however, some degrees of freedom are unknown, observer can describe such objects only {\it probabilistically} and they manifest {\it weird} features similar to that of quantum particles. We show new classical counterparts of such quantum phenomena as particle interference, tunneling, above-barrier reflection, trapping on top of a barrier, and spontaneous emission of radiation. In the light of these findings, we hypothesize that quantum mechanics may \emph{emerge} as approximation from a more profound theory on a deeper level.
Until recently, wave-particle duality has been thought of as quantum principle without a counterpart in classical physics. This belief was challenged after (i) finding that average dynamics of a classical particle in a strong inhomogeneous oscillating field resembles that of a quantum object and (ii) experimental discovery of "walkers" - macroscopic droplets that bounce on a vertically vibrating bath of the same fluid and can self-propel via interaction with the surface waves they generate. This paper exposes a new family of objects that can display both particle and wave features all together while strictly obeying laws of the Newtonian mechanics. In contrast to the previously known duality examples in classical physics, oscillating field or constant inflow of energy are not required for their existence. These objects behave deterministically provided that all their degrees of freedom are known to an observer. If, however, some degrees of freedom are unknown, an observer can describe such objects only probabilistically and they manifest weird features similar to that of quantum particles. We show new classical counterparts of such quantum phenomena as particle interference, tunneling, above-barrier reflection, trapping on top of a barrier, and spontaneous emission of radiation. In the light of these findings, we hypothesize that quantum mechanics may emerge as approximation from a more profound theory on a deeper level.
Abstract The double-slit experiment is a classic experiment that presents the clearest manifestation of wave-particle duality, one of the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics. The double-slit experiment still remains the phenomenon that demonstrates wave-particle duality at the most fundamental level. This phenomenon quantitatively and conceptually demonstrates that microscopic objects can behave like both waves and particles at the same time. This article provides an in-depth analysis of the physical nature of dualism, the mechanism of formation of the interference pattern, and the impact of the act of observation on the dynamics of quantum systems. The need for a new perspective on this topic is due to the fact that the current uncertainty in the interpretation of quantum reality has not yet been completely eliminated, and the boundaries between classical and quantum behavior in microscopic objects are still being explored. The results presented here restructure the deep mechanisms of the interference picture, more clearly frame the relationship between observation and wavefunction collapse, and provide a quantum. Since the article attempts to provide a complete answer to the mechanism of the formation of wave-particle duality, extensive space is given to sections such as historical development, theoretical models, modern research, etc. New approaches to this phenomenon have been developed using modern research and string theory. As a result, a new mathematical expression has been proposed that explains the reasons for the initial emergence of wave-particle duality, and is also important for string theory. The article explains the measurement problem with a more effective physical structure and ontological model.
The simplest but deepest questions of the philosophy of quantum mechanics are these: Are quantum systems waves, or are they particles? Are they both or are they neither? When light bounces an electron out of the surface of an alkali metal it behaves like a particle. Light carries momentum but also a punch. Just as there is no such thing as half a punch, so there is no such thing as half a quantum of light. On the other hand, the shadow formed on a screen by an object has soft edges, edges which get softer as the object is moved away from the screen. Light exhibits the phenomena of diffraction and interference and so is wavelike. This dual behaviour of light, and indeed of matter itself, is called wave-particle duality. The wave nature of a quantum system is reflected in wave mechanics which assigns a wave-function to the system. But the dual nature of light was noticed before Schrodinger developed the wave-mechanical formalism in 1926. In fact, it goes back at least as far as Einsteins explanation of the photoelectric effect in 1905. Wave-particle duality is not something that arises within the quantum mechanical formalism. It is something which is expressed within it, and is something which is best discussed in terms of the paradoxes that quantum experiments force upon physics. In fact, the simplest and most immediately disturbing of the quantummechanical paradoxes arise out of wave-particle duality. We take the two-slit experiment and the delayed-choice experiment as examples.
Several recent experiments were devoted to walkers, structures that associate a droplet bouncing on a vibrated liquid with the surface waves it excites. They reveal that a form of wave-particle duality exists in this classical system with the emergence of quantum-like behaviours. Here we revisit the single particle diffraction experiment and show the coexistence of two waves. The measured probability distributions are ruled by the diffraction of a quantumlike probability wave. But the observation of a single walker reveals that the droplet is driven by a pilot wave of different spatial structure that determines its trajectory in real space. The existence of two waves of these types had been proposed by de Broglie in his "double solution" model of quantum mechanics. A difference with the latter is that the pilot-wave is, in our experiment, endowed with a "path memory". When intrusive measurements are performed, this memory effect induces transient chaotic individual trajectories that generate the resulting statistical behaviour.
We explore the hydrodynamic analogues of quantum wave-particle duality in the context of a bouncing droplet system which we model in such a way as to promote comparisons to the de Broglie-Bohm interpretation of quantum mechanics. Through numerical means we obtain single-slit diffraction and double-slit interference patterns that strongly resemble those reported in experiment and that reflect a striking resemblance to quantum diffraction and interference on a phenomenological level. We, however, identify evident differences from quantum mechanics which arise from the governing equations at the fundamental level.
Photons and elementary particles display the properties of particle as well as of wave known as Wave Particle Duality. Quantum Theory could not explain Wave Particle Duality only due to the belief that photon has no mass and accepted Wave Particle Duality as reality of quantum scale particles. “Experimental Proof of Mass in Photon” [1] discovered Inertial Force developed by the photons on Reflection. This Inertial Force is developed in the spinning photon from inside due to the mass of photon. These experiments also discovered that the centre of mass of photon was different from the centre of photon. Such presence of mass in a photon developing Inertial Force from within the photon gifts special properties to display Wave Particle Duality, Interference and Polarization etc. These phenomena are explained in this work which could not be explained by the Quantum Theory earlier. This work also confirms mass in photon based on both Newtonian and Special Theory of Relativity. New equations of true mass of photon are also derived.