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jtotheizzoe: What Shape is a Photon? A photon doesn’t really have a shape, at least not in the way we are used to thinking of it. That’s because it exhibits properties of both a particle and a wave. But you can take an area and calculate the probability of finding a photon there. A recent piece of cool work by some Italian physicists measured lots and lots of photon “probabilities” to come up with the shape that represents where you’d most likely find a photon, if you could look inside a beam. Close enough for me! (via Physics Buzz, image via National Inst. of Optics)

jtotheizzoe:

What Shape is a Photon?

A photon doesn’t really have a shape, at least not in the way we are used to thinking of it. That’s because it exhibits properties of both a particle and a wave. But you can take an area and calculate the probability of finding a photon there.

A recent piece of cool work by some Italian physicists measured lots and lots of photon “probabilities” to come up with the shape that represents where you’d most likely find a photon, if you could look inside a beam.

Close enough for me!

(via Physics Buzz, image via National Inst. of Optics)

∞  August 12, 2012 at 04:20pm
457 notes
via physicsbuzz.physicscentral.com
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  4. officially-whelmed reblogged this from jtotheizzoe and added:
    pretty cool idea; building up a map.
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    (via imgTumble)
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    Woah
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    A shape of the quantum reality within all of us. Exactly, it’s that mysterious.
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