[alancalverd]

I can smell the bullshit from here.

(after 3 minutes of the video) I was right. It stinks.

As with every philosopher I have ever encountered, he is telling me that I don't understand something that he doesn't understand.

[hamdani yusuf]

FYI, circularly polarized light has a constant amplitude of electric field when propagating as a plane wave. Only the orientation rotates.

Which has nothing to do with this discussion, please don't bring in unrelated topics just to confuse yourself.

It exposes a weakness in quantum mechanics as it's currently understood.

[alancalverd]

Really? Wave propagation has nothing to do with QM - it's purely continuum mathematics.

[hamdani yusuf]

Really? Wave propagation has nothing to do with QM - it's purely continuum mathematics.

Gemini claims that wave propagation is a crucial aspect of quantum mechanics.
Your claim just confirmed my statement.

[alancalverd]

Gemini is wrong.

[Kryptid]

Gemini claims that wave propagation is a crucial aspect of quantum mechanics.
Your claim just confirmed my statement.

Please don't rely on AI to teach you things...

[hamdani yusuf]

Gemini claims that wave propagation is a crucial aspect of quantum mechanics.
Your claim just confirmed my statement.

Please don't rely on AI to teach you things...

We can ask them to tell their information source, so we can verify their answers.

[alancalverd]

Why bother with the stupid intermediary? Wave propagation is by its very definition a continuum phenomenon, not a quantum phenomenon.

[hamdani yusuf]

Why bother with the stupid intermediary? Wave propagation is by its very definition a continuum phenomenon, not a quantum phenomenon.

What makes it stupid?
Quantum theory was started by explaining distribution of black body radiation, which was thought to be a continuum phenomenon.
Quantum mechanics has explanation about double slit interference, which was thought to be a continuum phenomenon.

[hamdani yusuf]

I asked Gemini, How does quantum mechanics explain wave propagation?

Quantum Mechanics and Wave Propagation
Quantum mechanics provides a fundamentally different framework for understanding wave propagation compared to classical physics.
Key Differences:
 * Wave-Particle Duality: Unlike classical physics, where waves and particles are distinct entities, quantum mechanics posits that particles can exhibit wave-like properties and vice versa. This duality is essential for understanding quantum wave propagation.
 * Probability Waves: In quantum mechanics, waves are described by wave functions, which represent the probability amplitude of finding a particle at a particular position. This probabilistic interpretation is a departure from the deterministic nature of classical waves.
 * Schr?dinger Equation: This equation is the fundamental equation of quantum mechanics, governing the evolution of the wave function over time. It's analogous to the wave equation in classical physics but with a probabilistic interpretation.
 * Quantization: Energy levels associated with wave propagation are often quantized in quantum mechanics, meaning they can only take on specific discrete values. This is in contrast to classical physics where energy can vary continuously.
How does it work?
 * Wave Function Collapse: When a measurement is made on a quantum system, the wave function collapses to a specific state, corresponding to a particular outcome. This process is probabilistic, determined by the wave function before the measurement.
 * Interference and Diffraction: Quantum particles can exhibit interference and diffraction patterns, just like classical waves. However, the interpretation of these phenomena is probabilistic in quantum mechanics.
 * Quantum Tunneling: A purely quantum mechanical phenomenon, tunneling allows particles to pass through potential energy barriers even when they classically lack the energy to do so. This is explained by the wave-like nature of particles and the probabilistic interpretation of the wave function.
In essence, quantum mechanics provides a probabilistic and wave-like description of particle behavior, which is fundamentally different from the deterministic and particle-like view of classical physics.

[hamdani yusuf]

How does it describe propagation of electromagnetic wave?

Quantum Mechanics and Electromagnetic Waves
Quantum mechanics provides a fundamentally different perspective on electromagnetic wave propagation compared to classical electrodynamics.
The Photon: The Quantum of Light
 * Particle-like behavior: Electromagnetic waves are quantized into discrete packets of energy called photons. These photons exhibit particle-like properties in certain situations, such as the photoelectric effect.
 * Wave-particle duality: Photons also demonstrate wave-like properties, such as interference and diffraction. This duality is a cornerstone of quantum mechanics.
Quantum Field Theory
 * Electromagnetic field as a quantum field: To fully describe electromagnetic waves, we use quantum field theory. This theory treats the electromagnetic field as a quantum field, which is a collection of harmonic oscillators.
 * Photon creation and annihilation: Photons are excitations of this quantum field. The emission and absorption of photons correspond to the creation and annihilation of these excitations.
Quantization of Energy
 * Discrete energy levels: The energy of an electromagnetic wave is quantized, meaning it can only take on specific values. This is directly related to the energy of the photons associated with the wave.
 * Planck's constant: The energy of a photon is given by E = hf, where E is the energy, h is Planck's constant, and f is the frequency of the wave.
Probabilistic Nature
 * Wave function: The propagation of electromagnetic waves can be described by a wave function, which represents the probability amplitude of finding a photon at a particular location.
 * Uncertainty principle: The position and momentum of a photon cannot be simultaneously determined with absolute precision due to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle.
In summary, quantum mechanics provides a more complete and accurate description of electromagnetic wave propagation by incorporating the particle-like nature of light (photons), the quantization of energy, and the probabilistic nature of quantum systems. This approach is essential for understanding phenomena like the photoelectric effect, spontaneous emission, and quantum optics.

It also told its source when I asked about QFT.

Quantum Field Theory (QFT)
A Brief Overview
Quantum Field Theory (QFT) is a theoretical framework that combines quantum mechanics and special relativity to describe the behavior of subatomic particles and their interactions. It's a cornerstone of modern physics, underpinning our understanding of the universe at its most fundamental level.
Key Concepts
 * Fields: Unlike classical physics where particles are point-like objects, QFT introduces fields that permeate all of spacetime. These fields can be thought of as continuous distributions of quantities, like the electromagnetic field.
 * Particles as Excitations: Particles are seen as excitations of these underlying fields. When a field is disturbed (e.g., by energy input), it can create particles. Conversely, particles can disappear, returning energy to the field.
 * Quantization: Just like in quantum mechanics, quantities in QFT are quantized. This means they can only take on specific, discrete values. The energy levels of the field are quantized, leading to the concept of particles.
 * Interactions: Particles interact by exchanging other particles, known as force carriers. For example, electrons interact through the exchange of photons.
Importance and Applications
 * Particle Physics: QFT is the foundation of the Standard Model of particle physics, which describes the fundamental particles and forces of the universe.
 * Condensed Matter Physics: QFT is used to study phenomena in condensed matter, like superconductivity and phase transitions.
 * Cosmology: QFT plays a role in understanding the early universe and the nature of dark matter and dark energy.
Challenges and Future Directions
Despite its successes, QFT still faces challenges. One major issue is the difficulty in combining gravity with quantum mechanics. This is a central problem in theoretical physics and is actively being researched.
QFT continues to be a rich area of study, with new discoveries and applications being made all the time

.
https://github.com/JohnTelford/GPT

[hamdani yusuf]

How does it describe polarization of light?

Quantum Field Theory and Polarization of Light
In quantum field theory, light is described as a quantum field, and its quanta are photons. Polarization, in this context, becomes a property of the photon.
Photons and Polarization
 * Spin: Photons, as massless particles, have spin 1. This spin quantizes the polarization states.
 * Helicity: The projection of the photon's spin onto its direction of motion is called helicity. For photons, helicity can only be +1 or -1, corresponding to right-circular and left-circular polarization, respectively.
 * Linear Polarization: Linear polarization is a superposition of right and left circular polarization states.
Mathematical Description
 * Photon Polarization State: A photon's polarization state can be represented as a quantum state vector.
 * Quantum Operators: Operators corresponding to different polarization measurements (e.g., linear, circular) can be defined and applied to the photon state vector to obtain probabilities of different polarization outcomes.
Key Points
 * Quantization: Polarization is quantized in terms of the photon's spin.
 * Superposition: Polarization states can be superpositions of different basis states (e.g., circular, linear).
 * Probabilistic Interpretation: Quantum mechanics introduces a probabilistic nature to polarization measurements.
Connection to Classical Electrodynamics
While QFT provides a fundamental description, the classical picture of polarization as the orientation of the electric field vector is still a useful approximation in many cases. The connection between the two is through the correspondence principle, which states that quantum mechanics should reduce to classical physics in the appropriate limit.
In summary, quantum field theory offers a more fundamental and comprehensive understanding of polarization, describing it as a quantum property of photons. It provides a framework for calculating probabilities of different polarization states and for understanding the interactions of polarized light with matter at the quantum level.
Would you like to delve deeper into a specific aspect of photon polarization or its applications?

[hamdani yusuf]

In quantum field theory, light is described as a quantum field, and its quanta are photons. Polarization, in this context, becomes a property of the photon.
Photons and Polarization
 * Spin: Photons, as massless particles, have spin 1. This spin quantizes the polarization states.
 * Helicity: The projection of the photon's spin onto its direction of motion is called helicity. For photons, helicity can only be +1 or -1, corresponding to right-circular and left-circular polarization, respectively.
 * Linear Polarization: Linear polarization is a superposition of right and left circular polarization states.

This model has a problem to describe elliptical polarization.
Also how to determine the orientation of linear polarization? How it can be changed by reflection?

[alancalverd]

Just to return to the original question

Yes, but it seems to work pretty well so far. Unlike Gemini.

[hamdani yusuf]

Just to return to the original question

Yes, but it seems to work pretty well so far. Unlike Gemini.

But you said it doesn't explain wave propagation.

[alancalverd]

It isn't intended to. Maxwell does a good-enough job.

[hamdani yusuf]

It isn't intended to.

What is it intended to?
Is it a complementary of Maxwell's theory? Is there overlap between them?

[alancalverd]

For the nth time:

Maxwell describes the propagation of electromagnetic radiation and is consistent with geometrical optics, radio navigation, etc.

Quantum mechanics describes, among other things, the production of electromagnetic radiation at high (e.g. visible, x-ray) energies and its molecular and atomic interactions.

I do not know of any phenomena that are not described by one or other mechanism.

[hamdani yusuf]

For the nth time:

Maxwell describes the propagation of electromagnetic radiation and is consistent with geometrical optics, radio navigation, etc.

Quantum mechanics describes, among other things, the production of electromagnetic radiation at high (e.g. visible, x-ray) energies and its molecular and atomic interactions.

I do not know of any phenomena that are not described by one or other mechanism.

Can quantum mechanics explain the generation, propagation, and reception of radio waves?

[Eternal Student]

Hi.

Can quantum mechanics explain the generation, propagation, and reception of radio waves?

Short Answer:
   Probably not in an easy way for human beings to understand. 
   It probably is possible to use QM and apply a suitable interpretation of probabilities or the frequency of detection of photons to re-create the usual gross-scale classical radio wave propagation results - but this would be complicated.
   At the fundamental level, in most QM models there aren't any "radio waves".   So the problem starts with the way the question was phrased.

Medium detail / further discussion:
     The name "radio wave" that you are using in the question describes a phenomena that we (human beings) have come to ascribe some meaning to.   This thing,  "a radio wave", is an essentially classical physical phenomena.
    We imagine a radio wave as a ...  (you know) .....  spread out and continuous wave thing.  We expect to be able to measure an Electric and a Magnetic field and a radio wave will be a suitable oscillation in these fields.  There are many versions of Quantum Mechanics but most of them don't have that sort of thing as their subjects or objects of interest.   The simplest QM models consider all objects as if they are particles.   For example, we might consider a particle of light, a photon, as a suitable QM object but we do not consider an e-m wave as a suitable QM object.    QM objects just happen to have a wave function associated to them BUT they are essentially discrete particles and would always be detected as a discrete particle.
      More advanced QM theories, such as the mainstream versions of QFT, will consider the most fundamental objects to be fields.  For example, there will be a photon field that exists everywhere in space.   The thing we call a photon would not be treated as a fundamental QM object, it is just how we may interpret a certain oscillation in that underlying photon field at some place.    So, in QFT, there is a photon field but there is NOT any fundamental Electric field or Magnetic field.   These things, the electric and magnetic fields are just gross-scale fields that can emerge from the more fundamental fields of the particles in the standard model of particle physics.   QFT doesn't aim to deal with oscillations in the Electric and Magnetic fields, it only deals with the fundamental particle fields.   You need to add a layer of interpretation on to the top to translate what happens in these fundamental particle fields into something that can be observed in the gross-scale Electric and Magnetic fields.   That can be done in many versions of QFT but is rarely simple.
    When you are asking about "a radio wave", you have moved attention to something in terms of the ordinary (or gross-scale) Electric and Magnetic fields and not on any fundamental object (a photon in simple QM, or the photon field in QFT).   So the question cannot be answered without translating the results of QM back into something classical involving the Electric and Magnetic fields.   One of the simplest or most naive ways of making this translation is to just analyse the probablities or frequencies with which a QM object would be found at some place and time.   So, we might imagine that an e-m wave is a collection of many photons or that an experiment involving one photon has been done many times and the e-m wave we observe is the combined average of all of these.

Example:    If you could fire just one photon through the usual double-slit experiment apparatus,   then you probably won't get an interference pattern on the screen at the end.   Instead we think you'll get just one spot to glow on the screen.   However, if we repeat the experiment many, many times then we expect to see that the places where the screen glows and how often that bit of the screen glows will correspond to the usual interference pattern for a classical wave being put through that apparatus.    So, one individual photon does NOT behave like an e-m wave - but a thousand or a million of them would seem to reproduce classical radio wave-like patterns and behaviour.

NOTE:   I'm really not convinced anyone has actually done a genuine version of Young's double slit experiment where only a single photon is fired with a clear interval of time before the next is fired.   However, this demonstration gets close and claims to be using such a thin and dim stream of light that only "a few" photons per second will be produced.
https://sciencedemonstrations.fas.harvard.edu/presentations/single-photon-interference


   So, the important point is simply that "a radio wave" isn't the normal subject for any QM model.  It demands some form of interpretation to put the results predicted by any QM model back into terms which would make sense when you consider "a radio wave".   
   If we wished to be controversial we would say "there are NO radio waves... just QM objects that get detected at certain times and places.  On a gross scale, that looks like a radio wave is there".    ... However... I'm not that controversial or convinced that a simple QM model is some ultimate truth....  there are many versions of QM, all have some use and classical e-m theory is also extremely useful.   

Another minor note:    Your (Hamdani) extracts produced by Gemini seem to be blending many different versions of Quantum Mechanics.    For example,  QFT is a specialised theory and there are still about 3 versions or flavours of QFT that are in current use.   I don't think Geminii is reliably identifying where things can and cannot be combined.   For example, the simplest QM models are not like QFT.   They will involve the original Schrodinger equation, which is shown here:



That has a mass term, m, in the Hamiltonian for the QM object under consideration    (it's in the square bracket, h squared over 2 m).   This means it's actually useless for photons which should have 0 rest mass.   None the less, we (physicists) do generalise a lot of results from such a QM theory for massive particles to massless particles like photons.  For example, the Youngs double slit experiment can be modelled for electrons or even bigger particles like carbon bucky-balls.  We can (and have) then done experiments with these things and obtained a good match with the predictions from the simple QM model.   It is natural to assume a similar thing for photons, even though the zero mass term would technically make the simple QM model invalid.   If you read what I've said (above) about firing single photons then you'll hopefully notice that I've got phrases like "we think".   
     I believe that how you reconcile a classical radio wave with a suitable QM object ("a photon") is subject to a lot of interpretation. 

[Disclaimer:     I'M NOT AN EXPERT.  ]

Best Wishes.