Could wave/particle duality have to do with the speed limit of light?

In summary, the conversation discusses the search for a theory relating to the nature of light and its behavior as both a wave and a particle. The mention of Feynman and Penrose's work leads to the idea that observing light as particles is a result of slowing it down below the speed of light. The conversation also touches on the concept of time and how it relates to the behavior of light. The question about the smallest unit of time, referred to as Planck time, is brought up, but the answer is not found.
  • #1
fellupahill
56
0
This has got to be theorized before, and google is failing me. So someone point me in the direction of the Theory I am looking for. I am not over speculating, I am trying to find the name of a similar theory.

When I doing some Feynman reading I started getting some off topic ideas, so I took a break and started doing some research about it online. Stumbled into a video of penrose explaining wave function collapsing when you make an observation. Seems pretty simple to make the connection with movies. If you think of a video of a beam of light, if you pause the video to get a better look at it, it would look like a single piece, not a whole beam you saw stretch across the screen. Light might always be waves, but because of the nature of things at or above the speed of light, when we try to look at it, we only see the actions that happen below/at the speed of light. The interference the particle makes in the two slit experiment with itself happen so fast time doesn't effect it normally and it seems to be in both places at once.

So I am looking very generally for a theory of QM that light is always a wave and observing it as particles is just how we see it when we slow it down below or is otherwise somehow related to the cap on the speed of light. AND/OR a Theory Thinking of every moment in time as a snapshot and the framerate of the movie of the universe is the time in between the wave colapse. So the particle is either here or there. Here or there. In between doesn't exist, but when time moves fluidly the motion back and forth is the wave.

Edit:
"Since the smallest unit of time is Planck time "
How long is this? and were did Planck get it from?
 
Last edited:
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  • #2
fellupahill said:
This has got to be theorized before, and google is failing me. So someone point me in the direction of the Theory I am looking for. I am not over speculating, I am trying to find the name of a similar theory.

When I doing some Feynman reading I started getting some off topic ideas, so I took a break and started doing some research about it online. Stumbled into a video of penrose explaining wave function collapsing when you make an observation. Seems pretty simple to make the connection with movies. If you think of a video of a beam of light, if you pause the video to get a better look at it, it would look like a single piece, not a whole beam you saw stretch across the screen. Light might always be waves, but
because of the nature of things at or above the speed of light, when we try to look at it, we only see the actions that happen below/at the speed of light. The interference the particle makes in the two slit experiment with itself happen so fast time doesn't effect it normally and it seems to be in both places at once.

So I am looking very generally for a theory of QM that light is always a wave and observing it as particles is just how we see it when we slow it down below or is otherwise somehow related to the cap on the speed of light. AND/OR a Theory Thinking of every moment in time as a snapshot and the framerate of the movie of the universe is the time in between the wave colapse. So the particle is either here or there. Here or there. In between doesn't exist, but when time moves fluidly the motion back and forth is the wave.
Since "above the speed of light" doesn't really mean anything, I don't think the rest of your question is going to have an answer
Edit:
"Since the smallest unit of time is Planck time "
How long is this? and were did Planck get it from?
This is a very well documented man-made unit of measure. Have you tried Googling it?
 

Related to Could wave/particle duality have to do with the speed limit of light?

1. What is wave/particle duality?

Wave/particle duality is the concept in quantum mechanics that states that particles can exhibit both wave-like and particle-like behavior. This means that they can behave as both a wave and a particle at the same time.

2. How does wave/particle duality relate to the speed limit of light?

In Einstein's theory of special relativity, the speed of light is considered to be the maximum speed at which anything can travel. This is due to the fact that light is both a wave and a particle, and its behavior is governed by the principles of wave/particle duality.

3. Could wave/particle duality explain why the speed of light is constant?

Yes, wave/particle duality could be one of the reasons why the speed of light is constant. As a wave, light can travel at different speeds, but as a particle, it is always limited to the speed of light. This duality helps to maintain the constant speed of light.

4. Is there any evidence to support the connection between wave/particle duality and the speed limit of light?

Yes, there have been numerous experiments and observations that support the concept of wave/particle duality and its connection to the speed limit of light. For example, the famous double-slit experiment demonstrates the wave-like behavior of particles, which is a key aspect of wave/particle duality.

5. How does understanding wave/particle duality impact our understanding of the speed of light?

Understanding wave/particle duality is essential in comprehending the principles of the speed of light. It helps us to understand why the speed of light is constant and provides insights into the behavior of light as both a wave and a particle. This understanding also has implications for other fundamental concepts in physics, such as the uncertainty principle and quantum entanglement.

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