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Image a light bulb. In it the filament with a simple metallic composition, copper or other metals. At the precise instant, say $t=0$, where the first copper atom will be shining.

In which direction the light will be emit?

Is the light can be considered as continuous or discrete?

Imagine a single dot or copper atom in a 2D o 3D space depends which one you prefer. It emit light in one or every directions ? It spread at $c$ speed but knowing the wave particle duality. It is the movement is discrete or continuous?

Qmechanic
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KyBe
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1 Answers1

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It boils down to the specific phenomena producing the light. If such light is produced because of the transitions of electrons between different levels of the copper atom, for example by spontaneously emitting a photon (particle-like) with exactly the energy difference between two states and in a random direction (spherical symmetry unless something else brakes it), you would describe that as a discrete phenomena.

On the other hand, for bulbs, it is more likely that the relevant light emitted comes from a bulk property, the temperature, of the copper wire. In this case light is thermally dispersed away due to collective interactions. That is they would follow certain distribution (similar to black-body radiation) and at this scale it is impossible to distinguish single photons and the light would look more like a spherical wave propagating radially outwards from the wire.

This conundrum is exactly the wave-particle duality nature of light. So the question is really what is the most appropriate description for your problem. Remember physics can only model reality.

ohneVal
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