Thanks BenLurkin.
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Posted on 04/25/2019 9:24:13 AM PDT by BenLurkin
The laws of physics are such that one photon just passes by another with zero interaction.
But in a new experiment inside the world's most powerful atom smasher, researchers got a glimpse of the impossible: photons bumping into each other.
The answer lies in one of the most inscrutable and yet delicious aspects of modern physics, and it goes by the funky name of quantum electrodynamics.
In this picture of the subatomic world, the photon isn't necessarily a photon. Well, at least, it's not always a photon. Particles like electrons and photons and all the other -ons continually flip back and forth, changing identities as they travel. It seems confusing at first: How could, say, a beam of light be anything other than a beam of light?
In order to understand this wacky behavior, we need to expand our consciousness a little...
In the case of photons, as they travel, every once in a while (and keep in mind that this is extremely, extremely rare), one can change its mind. And instead of being just a photon, it can become a pair of particles, a negatively charged electron and a positively charged positron (the antimatter partner of the electron), that travel together.
Blink and you'll miss it, because the positron and electron will find each other, and, as happens when matter and antimatter meet, they annihilate, poof. The odd pair will turn back into a photon.
For various reasons that are way too complicated to get into right now, when this happens, these pairs are called virtual particles. Suffice it to say that in almost all cases you never get to interact with the virtual particles (in this case, the positron and electron), and you only ever get to talk to the photon.
But not in every case.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
“Hey, bro, how’s by you?”
“Not so good. My significant positron and I got separated.”
“Well, that’s a shame.”
“Yeah, and worse, she caught me talking to a photon and now won’t come near me.”
“Oh, wow. You were going for a three-way?”
“I know how it looks. But now, I don’t even know if I’m a wave or a particle.”
“Have you tried a slit test, man?”
“Like I said, she won’t come near me.”
So if a proton identifies as an electron, it can then use the preferred restroom?
“Dude, you’re in my space. Get outta my space.
What was your post before I observed it?
“In this picture of the subatomic world, the photon isn’t necessarily a photon. Well, at least, it’s not always a photon. Particles like electrons and photons and all the other -ons continually flip back and forth, changing identities as they travel.”
I do not believe this to be a fully true state of affairs of nature.
What is missing is (a) in our actually limited understanding of these things (we know what we know which is very much less than knowing all there is to know about them), we (b) have designed our means of detecting such things with our limited knowledge inherently limiting our detection abilities and with results biased to our limitations.
In time we may eventually have means of observing photons in a manner in which we finally see that what have appeared as changes to us, were not changes in the true nature of photons at all. A piece of equipment inadequately designed to recognize a photon non-stop continuously in all its ways, cannot see that nothing has changed - it is simply not in the same limited range of observation as when initially observed.
We “see” the appearance of things because our “sight” is limited.
Physicists wrong again, yet will still expect to be worshipped as infallible demigods.
Remember this the next time that smarmy Tyson shows his arrogant mug.
Neil deGrasse Tyson occupies the Nye Quadrant.
https://judithcurry.com/2017/05/02/nyes-quadrant/
Scroll down, for the line:
And then there is Neil DeGrasse Tyson (sorry Neil, you don’t get a Quadrant named after you)
Neil Ty the scientism guy
https://mises.org/wire/neil-ty-scientism-guy
Insufficient information. We cannot evaluate this until we know the race, gender and sexual preferences of the researchers involved.
My brain hurts.
a photon interacting with a positron or an electron (even though they are “virtual”) is the same as interacting with an actual photon?
How can we believe “Lie Science”.
no said proton would need an interactive course of possibilities before choosing to be an electron and gain entrance to said atom stop
Its not that kind of proton! ....not without dinner & drinks first! ...and a movie!
Thanks BenLurkin.
Are they gay?
Totally 100% my typo. Ouch
In order to understand this wacky behavior, we need to expand our consciousness a little...
Okay, I think I get it but hand me the mushrooms anyway.
Photons can self-identify as bi?
Will this queer crap never end?!?!
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