Light...spiral not wave

[origin]

I've always wondered if for every "particle" of light, there were reverse particles, if you want to call them that, and instead of light actually moving it simply transferred through those "reverse particle" like the ripples of waves through water. Being not the water itself but the energy moving across the water, and the water the reverse particles. In this way motion of light is simply an allusion, truly it would be billions of particles flickering on and off. This hypothesis could explain photon-wave duality and how light can appear to be simultaneously in two locations at the same time.

This sounds like a type of ether. If light moved through a medium then you would be able to determine the speed of light relative to the ether. There is no variation in the speed which indicates that there is no medium or ether that the light propagates through.

 

[Kittamaru]

I've always wondered if for every "particle" of light, there were reverse particles, if you want to call them that, and instead of light actually moving it simply transferred through those "reverse particle" like the ripples of waves through water. Being not the water itself but the energy moving across the water, and the water the reverse particles. In this way motion of light is simply an allusion, truly it would be billions of particles flickering on and off. This hypothesis could explain photon-wave duality and how light can appear to be simultaneously in two locations at the same time.

In all honesty though - this is a thread from 2003 It might be better to create your own thread about this? Just a suggestion

 

[Hariharan]

It seems that light can be represented as a helical wave produced/traced by a particle.

Equation of a helix in parametric form is:
x = a sin(t) ;
y = a cos(t) ;
z = b t ;

When you plot this graph, you can see that the view from yz-plane shows it as a cosine curve, while the view from xz-plane shows it as a sine curve. This explains the fact that light can be represented as a sine as well as a cosine curve at the same instant. Also, this explains the wave-particle duality.

p.s. : Its like telling light consist of particles, but who knows!

 

[exchemist]

It seems that light can be represented as a helical wave produced/traced by a particle.

Equation of a helix in parametric form is:
x = a sin(t) ;
y = a cos(t) ;
z = b t ;

When you plot this graph, you can see that the view from yz-plane shows it as a cosine curve, while the view from xz-plane shows it as a sine curve. This explains the fact that light can be represented as a sine as well as a cosine curve at the same instant. Also, this explains the wave-particle duality.

p.s. : Its like telling light consist of particles, but who knows!

How exactly do you think this explains wave-particle duality? A cosine wave is just a sine wave phase shifted by pi/2. There is nothing more "particle-like" about one versus the other, so far as I can see.

 

[Billy T]

How exactly do you think this explains wave-particle duality? A cosine wave is just a sine wave phase shifted by pi/2. There is nothing more "particle-like" about one versus the other, so far as I can see.

Completely agree, but will note that a "helical wave" can be decomposed into two plane waves and conversely.

 

[exchemist]

Completely agree, but will note that a "helical wave" can be decomposed into two plane waves and conversely.

Indeed. But our friend is making a claim about wave-particle duality, which is something else. I'm not sure he or she has thought it through.

 

[Hariharan]

I meant to say that light is made of particles, not waves. Its only their travelling path which is viewed as a light wave. Even if so, it travels in a helical path. As billy T said, it can be decomposed into 2 plane waves, hence its parametric equation.

 

[Dr_Toad]

And another one!

The road goes on forever, and the party never ends.

 

[Dr_Toad]

You miss my point.