Does a light microscope also prove the particle nature of light? As in electron microscope there is either transmission or absorbance of electrons to create an image, hence the question above!
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Well, the answer is both yes and no. For light microscope, you can consider two cases: (1) particle picture of electron + particle picture of light (photon) and (2)quantized picture of electron (as in atomic shells)+wave picture of light (EM waves). Both of these cases will lead to same consequence. Infact it is also true for Photoelectric effect – KP99 Aug 30 '21 at 13:41
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Does a light microscope also prove the particle nature of light?
I don’t see how it can, since the working of a light microscope can be entirely explained using classical optics, which treats light as a wave.
If anything, the opposite is true - a transmission electron microscope works because it treats electrons as waves that can be focussed by magnetic lenses.
gandalf61
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The mere existence of a light microscope does not prove light’s wave-particle duality any more than a double slit does. However, when operated at extremely low power levels, and when using a photon-sensitive detector, both the microscope and double slit do reveal the duality. This is because both operate under the principle of diffraction, a wave phenomenon. In the famous individual-photon version of two-slit diffraction, the diffraction pattern is built, remarkably, one particle at a time. The experiment may also be performed by forming a microscope image, with no less remarkable results.
Gilbert
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Optical microscope's operating principle is normally refraction, not diffraction—unless it's made of zone plates or similar focusing devices. – Ruslan Aug 30 '21 at 15:10
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Unless they are referring to the resolution limit of the microscope. – Superfast Jellyfish Aug 30 '21 at 17:14
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The working principle of microscope doesn’t warrant the particle description of light. But where the particle nature can be observed is at the level of our detectors.
For example, we recently built a microscope in our lab for single photon purposes where we finally have an EMCCD which is essentially a fancy camera sensitive enough to detect single photons. So if we look at our camera’s readout, we see the microscope’s image buildup one photon at a time. See also this related answer of mine.
Superfast Jellyfish
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Consider the Poisson distribution of photons collected by pixels on the microscope's camera. Each photoelectron corresponds to the collapsed wavefunction of a photon.
David Bailey
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selene flemming
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