Light Quanta

Many may wonder about the title of this book. But one thing to note is that in 1951, Einstein told his friend Basso that,

All these fifty years of conscious brooding have brought me no nearer to the answer to the question "What are light quanta?" Nowadays every Tom, Dick, and Harry thinks he knows it, but he is mistaken.

This phrase has been mentioned by many people in their lectures, research papers and books. I think they know the exact meaning. Einstein doubted that there would be nothing like the postulated light quanta. But people are cheering for light quanta now. He was probably worried that something else would turn up later, showing that the light quanta were a trick used for the photoelectric effect. Because light is a wave and the energy in the wave cannot converge to a certain point, which he called light quanta. Secondly, he could not say what brings that energy together. What exactly that energy is, and why it depends on the frequency of the light wave, he could not tell. He was worried that it was just a trick used to solve the photoelectric effect.

Read for where the classical theory went wrong in solving the photoelectric effect and how Einstein was wrong.

Light is an electromagnetic wave. It contains asymmetric electric field which is responsible to produce the photoelectric effect. Any charged particle follows a curved path in asymmetric electric fields. Magnetic field is the effect of asymmetric electric field. Therefore, magnetic force increases with increase in frequency of the electromagnetic wave which is responsible to produce the photoelectric effect. Also, there is a phase difference of 90 degrees in electric field and magnetic field in electromagnetic. Both can be experimentally proved. See 'Photoelectric effect: the key point'.

One can estimate total length of single light wave emitted by an atom using Air-wedge method. Sodium atom emits light wave having near abut 600 crests and troughs. So that electron producing it must vibrate 600 times at one place in the atom. So, if it is moving in orbit, how can produce such long light wave? See "The total length of single light wave emitted by sodium atom'.

If you ask an uneducated person if all the electrons in an atom move around the nucleus, can a solid with constant shape be formed? So, he will say no but gas may be formed from such atoms. Electrons in an atom do not move in orbits. They can hold spin motion, which will cause to increase the magnetic repulsion between the paired electrons, and remain stationary. See 'Spin atomic model'.

As the effect of asymmetric electric field is magnetic field, it is not as we understand magnetic field. A bar magnet has two electric field cones. Read 'What is Magnetic Field?'. This explains why magnetic monopoles are absent in the universe.

Electric field in a light ray applies force on electric field of electron. Force is mutual. The electric field of the electron also exerts a force on the electric field of the light, causing the light beam to deviate. Read the 'Deflection of light rays in electric fields'.

Relative speed of light and ether, particle and fields are discussed in different way.

A must-read for science enthusiasts and those intrigued by the mysteries of the universe.