Needle radiation and quantum nano-optics. The 100 years old experiment on wide-angle interference by Pál Selényi; a Hungarian scholar at the cradle of the modern concept of photons
Sándor Varró Research Institute for Solid State Physics and Optics of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences Budapest, Hungary
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Otto Wiener
Pál Selényi
Selényi Pál-tól : A WIENER-FÉLE ÉS A RECZIPROK INTERFERENCZIA-JELENSÉGEKRŐL. Mathematikai és Természettudományi Értesítő. 29, 601-640 (1911). (Az M. T. Akadémia III. osztályának 1911 január 16-án tartott üléséből.)
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l / 15
Total Reflection
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“… In this way, at the meeting of 23. February [1911] of the „Mathematikai és Physikai Társulat‟ I could demonstrate these interference phenomena even in a not-darkened lecture hall.” 17. November 1884. [Dunaadony, H]
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21. March 1954. [Budapest, H]
Wiener–Lippmann ; indicator: photoplate; atom B absorbs
Drude–Nernst; indicator: through fluorescence light from B
B‟
A
A
B
B
Selényi; indicator: direct visual observation of light from fluorescence; seeing single-photon interference B A
Excitation
In Wiener‟s experiment [1890] the maxima of the standing wave pattern causes blackening of the photoplate. After evaluation we see the fringes. In the Drude and Nernst experiment [1892] these maxima were made visible through a fluorescent layer on the indicator plate. In each cases the excitation comes from above the metal mirror.
In Selényi‟s arrangement [1911] the excitation comes from below, thus a possible disturbance from the standing waves [because there is no metal mirror] is eliminated: The self– coherence of the „spherical photon‟ is observed directly by eye.
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1 z e ( r ct ) sin (r ct ) r 2 z Ex xz
„Hence at very great distance from the origin the field is practically a self-conjugate field and so the energy travels with a velocity very nearly equal to the velocity of light.” [ e.g. Bateman ] -8-
h = A + Ekin , p = h / c On a heuristic point of view about the creation and conversion of light. Annalen der Physik 17, 132 (1905)
On the development of our views on the nature and constitution of radiation. Physikalische Zeitschrift 10, 817 (1909)
“… by spreading from a point, in the outgoing light rays the energy is not distributed continuously to larger and larger spatial regions, but these rays consist of a finite number of energy quanta localized in spatial points, which move without falling apart, and they can be absorbed or created only as a whole.”
“… the most natural notion seems to me, that the appearance of the electromagnetic fields of light would attached to singular points, like in the case of eletrostatic fields according to the electron theory. It is not exluded that in such a theory the energy of the electromagnetic field could be viewed as localized in these singularities, like in the old action-at-a-distance theory. I think of such singular points surrounded by force fields, which, in essence are of a character of plane waves, whose amplitudes decrease by the distance from the singular points. … Needless to say, such a picture is of no value until it leads to an exact theory.”
Unfortunately, neither J. J. Thomson nor A. Einstein has ever published neither an illustrative figure nor a formula on the mentioned singular electromagnetic radiation fields.
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PHOTOEFFECT IN EVERYDAY LIFE
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Harry Bateman‟s example [ 1915 ]
Recent „example”: Filamentation of laser beams [ „Star Wars” ]
The assumption of „one–sidedness‟ of elementary radiation act contradicts to the measured wide–angle interference [ P. Jordan (1928): “Die Krise der Lichttheorie”. P. Selényi (1911), E.Schrödinger (1920), W. Gerlach & A. Landé (1926) ]
A. Muthukrishnan, M. O. Scully and M. S. Zubairy, OPN Trends, October 2003, S-18-27.
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Jaques et al. [ 2005 ], Self-Interference of single NV emitter
■ “The author always had the impression, that this experiment of 1911, which in a classically simple form gives information on the most important property of a light source, should be introduced in every, slightly detailed presentation of optics.” - 12 -
( a ) ~ Wiener‟s standing waves. ( b ) ~ Selényi‟s reciprocal interference. Analogy with the formation of Kossel lines in X-ray interference
ARTIFICIAL NANO – LAYERS [ of thickness < wavelength / 20 ~ 25 nm ]. Self-interference
Excitation
Total reflection RADIATORS IN NATURAL THIN PLANES.
X – RAY HOLOGRAPHY - 13 -
57Fe
■ B. W. Adams, „Manipulation of nuclear g-ray superradiance.‟ Paper 58 at PQE- 2010. ■ R. Röhlsberger, „The collective Lamb shift in nuclear g-ray superradiance.‟ Paper 222 at PQE2010 ; See also talk „Cooperative emission in the xray regime.‟ present PQE- 2011. ■ M. O. Scully et al., „Directed spontaneous emission from an extended ensemble of N atoms : The timing is everything‟. PRL 96, 010501 (2006); M. O. Scully, „Collective Lamb shift in single photon superradiance.‟ PRL 102, 143601 (2009)
d (d i d j ) max
l 2nk cos - 14 -
G. A. N.Connel, R. J. Nemanich and C. C. Tsai, Interference enhanced Raman scatterering from very thin absorbing films. Appl. Phys. Lett. 36, 31-33 (1980) Ming Lai and J.-C. Diels, Interference between spontaneou emission in different directions. Am. J. Phys. 58, 928-930 (1990)
F. Dubin, et al., Photon Correlation versus Interference of Single-Atom Fluorescence in a Half-Cavity. PRL 98, 183003 (2007)
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W Zenker,, Lehrbuch der Photochromie [ 1868 Color photography]
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SINGLE – PLASMON WIDE – ANGLE INTERFERENCE. Kolesov et al. ( 2008 )
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Modeling Maxwell fields with circuits [ G. Kron (General Electric Co. 1943) ]
Present: Scaling down ?
E(r, t ), B(r, t )
{r, t} {r, t} E(r, t ), B(r, t )
Modeling Schrödinger waves with circuits [ G. Kron (1945) ] - 18 -
Radio waves and optical antennas.
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Conclusions
Selényi‟s experiment of 1911 gave the first clean evidence for the wide–angle self–coherence of radiation stemming from elementary sources [in fluorescence of molecules]. It delivered the first experimental proof of the existence of „spherical electric dipole photons‟, in the sense of modern Quantum Theory of Radiation. At the same time, it disproved the assumption of „directionality‟. The self–coherence of quanta [ whose most characteristic manifestation is the phenomenon of wide–angle interference ] plays nowadays a crucial role in several branches of research with many potential applications. E.g. X-ray holography. Hard X-ray superradiance. Optical plasmonic nano-antennas. Single-photon sources, like Nitrogen Vacancies embedded in diamont or colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals. Challenges: „Dispersion + Quantum” . [ Attosecond ( 10-18sec) physics. ]
■ ■ Standing light waves [ H. Hertz, 1888; O. Wiener, 1890; G. Lippmann, 1891; Nobel prize 1908 for „colour photography‟ ] ■ Reciprocal, wide–angle interference [P. Selényi, 1911] ■ Needle radiation [ J. J. Thomson, 1903 ] „Nadelstrahlung‟ ■ Light quanta [A. Einstein, 1905, 1909, 1916 ]: „Heuristic viewpoint‟ Point–like h; photoeffect. Assumption of recoil momentum h / c in elementary radiation act; black-body spectrum; thermal equilibrium ■ Recoil, unidirectionality. „light darts‟: the electromagnetic momentum of a quantum is in the same direction for all of its energy. G. Breit, P. Jordan [1923] prove that “unnecessary to assume the unidirectional nature of quanta” ■ G. P. Thomson‟s experiments on „cutting the light darts‟: negative result A. H. Compton [1923] “Thus even from the quantum viewpoint electromagnetic radiation is seen to consist of waves.” ■ Assumption of „one–sidedness‟ of elementary radiation act contradicts measured wide–angle interference [ Pascual Jordan (1928): “Die Krise der Lichttheorie”. P. Selényi (1911), E.Schrödinger (1920), W. Gerlach & A. Landé (1926) ] ■ W. Kossel [1937] with x-rays discovers analogon of Selényi‟s result ■ Needle radiation vs QED [P. A. M. Dirac, P. Jordan, J. C. Slater, 1927] Appendix -I
■ 1907. matematika-fizika szakos tanári diploma (tanárai: Beke M., Eötvös L., Fröchlich I., Klupáthy J.) 1907-től a Bp.-i egyetemen tanársegéd. 1910. bölcsészdoktori oklevél („Adalékok az üvegrácson elhajlított fény polárosságának elméletéhez”) ■ 1911. „A Wiener-féle és recziprok interferencia-jelenségről” (Math. és Term. Tud. Értesítő) „Über Lichtzerstreuung im Raume Wienerschen Interferenzen und neue, reziproke Interferenzerscheinungen” (Annalen der Physik, 1911) ■ 1912-13. állami ösztöndíjjal Berlinben és Göttingenben tanul (pl. H. du Bois prof. laboratóriumában) („Zur Frage der Beeinflussung selektiver Absorptionsspektra durch elastische Deformation”) ■ 1915 februárjától 16 hónap az olasz fronton. Ágyú mellett hangtani feljegyzéseket is végez. Ezután a Technische Militaerkomission Bécsbe vezényli, az egyetemen a hangmérésre használható megfigyeléseinek hasznosításán dolgozik. Tüzérhadnagyként szerel le (1918). ■ 1918-19.-i tanév második felében a kísérleti fizika előadója. 1919-ben a Posta Kísérleti Állomás munkatársa. A Tanácsköztársaság idején a tud. egyesületek és múzeumok direktóriumának tagja, ezért a diktatúra bukása után mindkét állásából elbocsátották. ■ 1919-21-ben az Erdélyi és Szabó laboratóriumi felszereléseket és precíziós mérlegeket gyártó cég munkatársa. ■ 1921-39-ben az Egyesült Izzólámpa és Villamossági Rt. kutatója, a Pfeifer Ignác volt műegyetemi tanár vezette Tungsram kutatatólaboratóriumban. Félvezetőkutatás. Szelén. A vállatat 1940. január 1-vel származása miatt nyugdíjazza. ■ 1935. „Elektrografálás, a villamostöltésekkel való feljegyzés új módja és ennek gyakorlati alkalmazásai” (Elektrotechnika) „Elektrograhie, eine neues elektrostatisches Aufzeichnungsverfahren und seine Anwendungen” (Elektrotechnische Zeitschrift, 1935) ■ 1939-45-ben Székely Miklós villamossági vállalatánál külső szakértő, 1945-49-ben mérnök. 1943-ban és 1944-ben 2 ill. 3 hónapig munkaszolgálatos. ■ 1939. „Wide-Angle Interference and the Nature of elementary Light Sources” (Phys. Rev. 1939) ■ 1948-tól a bp.-i egyetemen magántanár, 1950-től ny. rk. tanár, 1951-től egyetemi tanár. ■ 1948. júl. 8-tól az MTA levelező tagja, ■ 1952. Kossuth-díj, 1948-53. Eötvös Lóránd tudományos műveinek sajtó alá rendezése. Appendix I
Töltésakkumuláció, Ikonoszkóp [ Tihanyi, Zworykin ]
Appendix IIa
Fotovezetés, Xerox [ Selényi 1936, Carlson 1938 ]
Appendix IIb
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d (d i d j ) max
l 2nk cos
E (S sin ) / R
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“We confirmed Selényi‟s result with a film of fluorescein and examined the fringes at an angle of divergence 45o also but noted little change in the visibility. The radiation emanates, then, from electric dipoles as Selényi had supposed.” Appendix IIIa
“A more detailed discussion of this point seems to be justified by the fact that although in two previous papers the authors had given a very exhaustive theoretical treatment of wide-angle interferencees, … , they never recognized or at least never mentioned the experimental difficulties existing in this respect. As a matter of fact, their treatment is based upon the assumption that the light source is stricly point-like. Therefore the influence of the shape and of the finite dimensions of the light source had not been taken into consideration, though these are the most important experimental factors which generally prohibit the realization of wide-angle interferences.”
Appendix IIIb
“All the performed experiments belong to the regime of self-interference because the phase-space density of any neutron beam is extremely low (10-14) and nearly every case when a neutron passes through the interferometer the next neutron is still in a uranium nucleus of the reactor fuel.” [ H. Rauch, J. Sumhammer, M. Zawisky and E. Jericha: Low-contrast and low-counting-rate measurements in neutron interferometry. Phys. Rev. A 42, 3726-3732 (1990) ]
M x M y (1 / l2 ) A
Detector B; vary Ml
Beam splitter BS Source aperture S
Detector A Mosaic
1 1 M xM yMl
Image of source Varro_CEWQO2010 Varro_CEWQO2010
Appendix V
