Name: Christopher S.
Status: educator
Age: 50s
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: 1/13/2003
Question:
Will a single beam of photons refract when entering a
medium of a different density? Thanks for your help.
Replies:
Yes. A single photon will refract.
Tim Mooney
Christopher,
A single beam of photons will refract. The simplest example is a laser. A
laser passing through a lens will bend.
Dr. Ken Mellendorf
Physics Instructor
Illinois Central College
Yes, but it is a lot more subtle than you might think. You might look for
a book entitled "Schrdinger's Kittens" for a fascinating tale of the
development of quantum theory -- with no math needed -- and the perplexity
and mystery of the particle / wave duality of light. It truly reveals a
quote attributed to Richard Feynman, "If someone says that they understand
quantum mechanics, they don't understand the problem!"
NEWTON is an electronic community for Science, Math, and Computer Science K-12 Educators, sponsored and operated by Argonne National Laboratory's Educational Programs, Andrew Skipor, Ph.D., Head of Educational Programs.
