pith. machine review for the scientific record. sign in

arxiv: quant-ph/0508202 · v1 · submitted 2005-08-26 · 🪐 quant-ph

Recognition: unknown

Photon wave function

Iwo Bialynicki-Birula
Authors on Pith no claims yet
classification 🪐 quant-ph
keywords wavephotonfunctionfunctionspropertiesviewapproachcannot
0
0 comments X
read the original abstract

Photon wave function is a controversial concept. Controversies stem from the fact that photon wave functions can not have all the properties of the Schroedinger wave functions of nonrelativistic wave mechanics. Insistence on those properties that, owing to peculiarities of photon dynamics, cannot be rendered, led some physicists to the extreme opinion that the photon wave function does not exist. I reject such a fundamentalist point of view in favor of a more pragmatic approach. In my view, the photon wave function exists as long as it can be precisely defined and made useful.

This paper has not been read by Pith yet.

discussion (0)

Sign in with ORCID, Apple, or X to comment. Anyone can read and Pith papers without signing in.

Forward citations

Cited by 1 Pith paper

Reviewed papers in the Pith corpus that reference this work. Sorted by Pith novelty score.

  1. Quantum Metric and Nonlinear Hall Effect of Photons

    hep-th 2026-04 unverdicted novelty 7.0

    Photons possess a quantum metric in momentum space that induces a nonlinear Hall effect for light in inhomogeneous media and nonlinear corrections to gravitational lensing from the interplay of position and momentum s...