Path: ccsf.homeunix.org!ccsf.homeunix.org!news1.wakwak.com!nf1.xephion.ne.jp!onion.ish.org!onodera-news!newsfeed.media.kyoto-u.ac.jp!newsfeed.news2me.com!arclight.uoregon.edu!hammer.uoregon.edu!logbridge.uoregon.edu!server3.netnews.ja.net!jura.cc.ic.ac.uk!delillo.lsr.ph.ic.ac.uk!news From: p.kinsler.news@ic.ac.uk Newsgroups: sci.physics,sci.physics.electromag,alt.sci.physics.new-theories,fj.sci.matter,sci.physics.relativity Subject: Re: New Year question from Leo Followup-To: sci.physics,sci.physics.electromag,alt.sci.physics.new-theories,fj.sci.matter,sci.physics.relativity Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2004 18:12:39 +0000 Organization: Speaking Personally Lines: 25 Message-ID: References: <2a0cceff.0312281924.7853d32f@posting.google.com> <3ff969fe$1@epflnews.epfl.ch> <3ff9a983_5@corp.newsgroups.com> Reply-To: p.kinsler@ic.ac.uk NNTP-Posting-Host: delillo.lsr.ph.ic.ac.uk X-Trace: jura.cc.ic.ac.uk 1073413173 28846 155.198.212.76 (6 Jan 2004 18:19:33 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@jura.cc.ic.ac.uk NNTP-Posting-Date: 6 Jan 2004 18:19:33 GMT Xref: ccsf.homeunix.org fj.sci.matter:46 Greg Neill wrote: >> Are Maxwell's equations compatible with virtual photons? > Maxwell's equations comprise a classical theory. > Virtual photons are part of a quantum theory. > Maxwell's equations do not specify the composition or > mechanism of the underlying electromagnetic field, but > describe the field's properties and behavior in the > classical limit. Most quantum opticans use photons constructed by quantising the vector potential inside a field mode. Each field mode is one of a set of orthonormal solutions to (classical) Maxwell's equations. So, I would say yes -- the virtual photons ``live inside'' solutions of Maxwell's equations. -- ---------------------------------+--------------------------------- Dr. Paul Kinsler Blackett Laboratory (QOLS) (ph) +44-20-759-47520 (fax) 47714 Imperial College London, Dr.Paul.Kinsler@physics.org SW7 2BW, United Kingdom. http://www.qols.ph.ic.ac.uk/~kinsle/