CHAPTER6
The Quantum Theory of Light
In This Chapter
- Another unresolved mystery of classical physics
- Albert Einstein’s “heuristic principle”
- The photon and its detection
- Light’s dual personality
In this chapter we’ll explore a second important case of quantization, this time in the form of light quanta, and learn how it provides an elegant interpretation of Max Planck’s blackbody radiation solution. We’ll also learn how the discovery of light’s particle nature can be traced back to the very experiment that proved it was a wave.
We’ll be formally introduced to Albert Einstein, and see how he revived a concept promoted fruitlessly by his esteemed ...
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