(I'm aware treating photon as particle and talking about its position is not exactly, conceptually right but I think it makes sense, at least in the point of view of a beginner. Please just assume photons carry fields and they exist like particles for the moment,or call them anything else if you think it fits better.)
When I study maxwells electrodynamics, I always end up seeing the following image. However I do not really understand what meaning should I make of it. I would really appreciate if you can briefly mention any experiments measuring this electric and magnetic field property, in case its relevant to your answer.
(here is the image I encounter)
1- Does it mean a single photon moves and carries fields of varying magnitude? Therefore we experience different electrical and magnetic field depending on at which position we encounter the photon? So by chance, if a point object is just at the place where E=B=0, photon may just pass through without doing anything? I tried to draw it as follows, in case I cannot make myself clear by words.
(picture 1)
2- Or does it mean, photons travel in groups and their sequence forms a sinusoidal shape. And the whole group goes with c, as in the following clumsy drawing (of course it is drawn discrete but I mean if this image was continuous):
(picture 2)
I think that all notes I encounter mean the 'picture 1' I have drawn. But it just do not feel right to me with my current knowledge, since varying fields of single photon means effect of a photon to a point charge depends on which phase photon meets the charge although photons were supposed to have a constant energy to give off. And also, if we look at the field distribution with a ray of photons, that would make the field move even faster than c, since photons carry their wave with c but the wave they carry also seems like propagating as it changes with time. Would you explain this mechanism to me, what proof do we have to say this actually happen instead of picture 2 I have drawn? Why do we rule out possibility of picture 2? (the question is not duplicate specifically because this part, and that it tries to relate photons propagation with it)
I know I should be violating some basic concepts but I am trying to learn by questioning and I have already read the existing lecture notes so please bear with me. I am really dying to make a sense out of this electrodynamics but I just cannot do it since no one even attempts to talk about what would a particle correspondence of wave theory would be. I would really appreciate any insights, explanations, corrections or experimental information. Thanks in advance.
