Questions tagged [quantum-electrodynamics]
Quantum electrodynamics (QED) is the quantum field theory believed to describe electromagnetic interaction. It is the simplest example of a quantum gauge theory, where the gauge group is abelian, U(1).
2,348
questions
121
votes
5
answers
6k
views
Does the $\frac{4}{3}$ problem of classical electromagnetism remain in quantum mechanics?
In Volume II Chapter $28$ of the Feymann Lectures on Physics, Feynman discusses the infamous $\frac43$ problem of classical electromagnetism. Suppose you have a charged particle of radius $a$ and ...
117
votes
9
answers
66k
views
What is the relation between electromagnetic wave and photon?
At the end of this nice video (https://youtu.be/XiHVe8U5PhU?t=10m27s), she says that electromagnetic wave is a chain reaction of electric and magnetic fields creating each other so the chain of wave ...
80
votes
2
answers
13k
views
Why did Feynman's thesis almost work?
A bit of background helps frame this question. The question itself is in the last sentence.
For his PhD thesis, Richard Feynman and his thesis adviser John Archibald Wheeler devised an astonishingly ...
63
votes
5
answers
21k
views
How wrong are the classical Maxwell's equations (as compared to QED)?
Now, I don't really mean to say that Maxwell's equations are wrong. I know Maxwell's equations are very accurate when it comes to predicting physical phenomena, but going through high school and now ...
54
votes
6
answers
29k
views
How do we know photons have spin 1?
Electrons have spin 1/2, and as they are charged, they also have an associated magnetic moment, which can be measured by an electron beam splitting up in an inhomogeneous magnetic field or through the ...
51
votes
3
answers
5k
views
Why don't electron-positron collisions release infinite energy?
Questions of the form:
An electron and a positron collide with E MeV of energy, what is the frequency of the photons released.
quite often come up in my A Level course (for often fairly arbitrary ...
50
votes
3
answers
12k
views
How are classical optics phenomena explained in QED (Snell's law)?
How is the following classical optics phenomenon explained in quantum electrodynamics?
Reflection and Refraction
Are they simply due to photons being absorbed and re-emitted? How do we get to Snell'...
49
votes
4
answers
6k
views
Physicists adding 3 decimals to the fine structure constant is a big accomplishment. Why?
Yesterday, a team of physicists from France announced a breakthrough in nailing down a "magic number" by adding three decimals to the the fine-structure constant (news article; technical ...
46
votes
5
answers
6k
views
Do electrons really perform instantaneous quantum leaps?
This is not a duplicate, non of the answers gives a clear answer and most of the answers contradict.
There are so many questions about this and so many answers, but none of them says clearly if the ...
45
votes
6
answers
7k
views
Can a photon get emitted without a receiver?
It is generally agreed upon that electromagnetic waves from an emitter do not have to connect to a receiver, but how can we be sure this is a fact? The problem is that we can never observe non-...
40
votes
9
answers
7k
views
If electrons are identical and indistinguishable, how can we say current is the movement of electrons?
When we talk about current, we say electrons are "flowing" through a conductor. But if electrons are identical particles, how does it make sense to talk about them flowing?
To expand on that:...
39
votes
7
answers
3k
views
Do Maxwell's equation describe a single photon or an infinite number of photons?
The paper Gloge, Marcuse 1969: Formal Quantum Theory of Light Rays starts with the sentence
Maxwell's theory can be considered as the quantum theory of a single
photon and geometrical optics as ...
38
votes
3
answers
19k
views
Is it really proper to say Ward identity is a consequence of gauge invariance?
Many (if not all) of the materials I've read claim Ward identity is a consequence of gauge invariance of the theory, while actually their derivations only make use of current conservation $\partial_\...
38
votes
3
answers
16k
views
The exchange of photons gives rise to the electromagnetic force [duplicate]
Pardon me for my stubborn classical/semiclassical brain. But I bet I am not the only one finding such description confusing.
If EM force is caused by the exchange of photons, does that mean only when ...
37
votes
3
answers
10k
views
Deriving the Coulomb force equation from the idea of virtual photon exchange?
Since Newton's law of gravitation can be gotten out of Einstein's field equations as an approximation, I was wondering whether the same applies for the electromagnetic force being the exchange of ...