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RE: The Curious Quantum World: Part 3
Does light (both a wave & particle) exist at the quantum level? I mean, I assume it does, but how is it different? Do we observe quantum phenomena with light? This is probably a dumb question, but once our eyes see it, the information has already been translated up onto larger scales. Are quantum distances, for example, shorter than a wavelength of light? Or does something like that matter?
Light (photons) exist as probability waves in the electro-magnetic field. Measurements of these fields reveal standing wave patterns where the "particle" is attributed to the position of highest amplitude in the given measurement.
This quantum measurement or observation destroys the original probability wave because it interacts with it. In the macroscopic world such "measurements" always are a part of information from the quantum world transitioning into the macroscopic world.
The plank length 1.616199(97)×10^−35 metres which can be considered the smallest distance in quantum physics is derived from the relationship between the minimum wavelength of light and the minimum energy per quantum. Wavelengths of light smaller than this distance would have undefined properties meaning they could have any (including infinite) energy, density, temperature, size or other properties. Such distance can be considered to be irrational.
Wow. I'm surprised there are answers to my questions. And impressed that you know what they are!
To add one little something, you can get the wave nature of light by studying interferences or anything related to waves, as @pjheinz is mentioning. You can get the particle nature of it in photon collisions at particle colliders or particle decays into pairs of photons.