Light is a phenomenon that is known in many different interpretations.
Note: this chapter has the same base as discussed under Intro Particle Physics, but with additional remarks.,
Light is a phenomenon that is crucial because it allows human observers to acquire and share visual impressions of objects in the world around us.
This observation is a result of interference of manifestations of photons within our eyes. A human observer can see objects because we can combine a huge number of these interferences into an impression of what we identify and can memorize as a specific object. We can exchange impressions on objects with fellow observers and mutually conclude on characteristics of an object under observation.
This study will consider the basic properties of the manifestations of a photon only. It refers to the fundamental physics of visible light quite often because this is a central element in the work that is described. The origin and interference characteristics of visible light are part of new ideas and models described in The Dutch Paradigm.
What is important to emphasize in this section is:
- Light has both particle and wave characteristics
This duality showed up in the double slit experiment of Thomas Young.
1.1 The particle characteristic implies that light can show its existence in the form of a quant of energy. A beam of light is a stream of photons and that if the beam is of frequency f, then each photon has a free quant of energy equal to hf available for interference with other particles.
Additional remark: That “particle”-element of the particle/wave duality links directly into what happened in period 2 at the beginning of the universe. In that period there was the outburst of free energy.
1.2 The wave characteristic shows wave interference
- Light as a wave is an electromagnetic phenomenon
- Light spans a frequency band that ranges from long radio waves up to gamma rays
- Light as we know it travels in a straight line
- Light is traveling at the speed of light
Additional remark: Free, uncompensated energy, that apparently can be modified by interference into other types of manifestation, like “mass,” but will forever be the source for modifying reality as perceived by the human observer.
For each of these subjects, there are massive amounts of research available, but the very nature of light itself is still unclear. Nevertheless, we have shown to be very ingenious in exploiting the properties of light for practical applications.