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Originally Posted by Renton

can more than one photon comprise the same wave?

Yes, in that case each photon's wave would have a total probability of 1.

Hmmm.. as I type that I realize that there could be such a case that the two waves are indistinguishable, and only the combined wave packet will be measurable. I think the normalization step is still required, but we're talking quite generally.

In this case, the information of both would be contained in the packet, and the packet would be treated as a single pair... if that makes sense.

The number of photons is conserved in all reference frames. I believe this even comes up in Max Plank's original derivation of blackbody radiation.

06-04-2015 08:23 PM #1
Renton View Profile View Forum Posts Private Message View Blog Entries Join Date Jan 2006 Posts 8,863 Location a little town called none of your goddamn business	can more than one photon comprise the same wave?

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06-04-2015 08:42 PM #2
MadMojoMonkey View Profile View Forum Posts Private Message View Blog Entries AINT SHOVELING SHIT Join Date Apr 2012 Posts 10,456 Location St Louis, MO	Originally Posted by Renton can more than one photon comprise the same wave? Yes, in that case each photon's wave would have a total probability of 1. Hmmm.. as I type that I realize that there could be such a case that the two waves are indistinguishable, and only the combined wave packet will be measurable. I think the normalization step is still required, but we're talking quite generally. In this case, the information of both would be contained in the packet, and the packet would be treated as a single pair... if that makes sense. The number of photons is conserved in all reference frames. I believe this even comes up in Max Plank's original derivation of blackbody radiation.

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