Re: Light Diameter


<spin9@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1169911586.819677.15060@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hello,

I'm trying to search the diameter of the ray of light and I need some
help about it. If the light was fit in a cilinder what should be the
size of the diameter of this ray? I know that the light can be
represented by sine/cos and all the stuff about particle/energy but I
want to know the diameter of it. Thank you for the attention,

I'm not 100% sure I understand what you are asking so forgive me if I have
it wrong...

A "ray of light" is made up of a large number of photons. The smallest "ray
of light" would be one that was made by just one photon. So I think the
question you are really asking is "what's the diameter of a photon?".

Unfortunately it's not possible to measure the exact size of a single photon
due to the "uncertainty principle". This is a very complex subject but in
brief Quantum theory says the more accurately you try to measure it the less
you know about it's position and the harder it is to measure
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncertainty_principle

If this is a homework question the answer might be "the diameter of a
photon" or "it's not possible to measure the _exact_ width of a ray of light
due to the uncertainty principle" - it depends what grade you are in.

If you want to know what the smallest diameter laser beam is that's a
different question... some very small laser beams have been created. This
one is a few microns in diameter...but again it's not possible to measure
the diameter exactly.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/extreme_machines/1280846.html?page=2



.

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