The discovery of the Planck relation is generally regarded as the starting point of quantum physics.Planck＇s constant h is now regarded as one of the most important universal constants.The physical nature of h,howeve...The discovery of the Planck relation is generally regarded as the starting point of quantum physics.Planck＇s constant h is now regarded as one of the most important universal constants.The physical nature of h,however,has not been well understood.It was originally suggested as a fitting constant to explain the black-body radiation.Although Planck had proposed a theoretical justification of h,he was never satisfied with that.To solve this outstanding problem,we use the Maxwell theory to directly calculate the energy and momentum of a radiation wave packet.We find that the energy of the wave packet is indeed proportional to its oscillation frequency.This allows us to derive the value of Planck＇s constant.Furthermore,we show that the emission and transmission of a photon follows the all-or-none principle.The ＂strength＂ of the wave packet can be characterized by ζ,which represents the integrated strength of the vector potential along a transverse axis.We reason that ζ should have a fixed cut-off value for all photons.Our results suggest that a wave packet can behave like a particle.This offers a simple explanation to the recent satellite observations that the cosmic microwave background follows closely the black-body radiation as predicted by Planck＇s law.展开更多
The phase velocity is discussed using de Broglie relations and Schrödinger equation. We argue that in non-relativistic quantum mechanics the Hamiltonian should be added by a rest-energy term when Schrödinger...The phase velocity is discussed using de Broglie relations and Schrödinger equation. We argue that in non-relativistic quantum mechanics the Hamiltonian should be added by a rest-energy term when Schrödinger equation is used to study the interference between particles of different masses. From neutrino oscillation experiments, we find that the phase velocity can be related to a measurable quantity (the flavor transition probability), therefore, the phase factor originated from the rest energy can’t be omitted. Correspondingly, the energy in de Broglie relations should always be total energy rather than kinetic energy, contrary to some textbooks of quantum mechanics.展开更多
基金Project partially supported by the Research Grant Council of Hong Kong,China(Grant No.RGC 660207)the Macro-Science Program,Hong Kong University of Science and Technology,China(Grant No.DCC 00/01.SC01)
文摘The discovery of the Planck relation is generally regarded as the starting point of quantum physics.Planck＇s constant h is now regarded as one of the most important universal constants.The physical nature of h,however,has not been well understood.It was originally suggested as a fitting constant to explain the black-body radiation.Although Planck had proposed a theoretical justification of h,he was never satisfied with that.To solve this outstanding problem,we use the Maxwell theory to directly calculate the energy and momentum of a radiation wave packet.We find that the energy of the wave packet is indeed proportional to its oscillation frequency.This allows us to derive the value of Planck＇s constant.Furthermore,we show that the emission and transmission of a photon follows the all-or-none principle.The ＂strength＂ of the wave packet can be characterized by ζ,which represents the integrated strength of the vector potential along a transverse axis.We reason that ζ should have a fixed cut-off value for all photons.Our results suggest that a wave packet can behave like a particle.This offers a simple explanation to the recent satellite observations that the cosmic microwave background follows closely the black-body radiation as predicted by Planck＇s law.
文摘The phase velocity is discussed using de Broglie relations and Schrödinger equation. We argue that in non-relativistic quantum mechanics the Hamiltonian should be added by a rest-energy term when Schrödinger equation is used to study the interference between particles of different masses. From neutrino oscillation experiments, we find that the phase velocity can be related to a measurable quantity (the flavor transition probability), therefore, the phase factor originated from the rest energy can’t be omitted. Correspondingly, the energy in de Broglie relations should always be total energy rather than kinetic energy, contrary to some textbooks of quantum mechanics.
