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- This demo is meant to illustrate what would happen if photons behaved like classical particles, or bb’s.
- Bb’s act as photons, and circular platform acts as a “light” barrier.
- With paper and carbon paper under the platform, pour the bb’s onto the platform. BB’s will scatter off and make marks on the paper underneath the platform where they hit. Spoiler alert: They don’t make an Arago spot.
- Use funnel to obtain uniformly vertical stream.
- Copper sheet provides hard, low-bounce surface. Long cardboard box, located next to demo, in L01, can be used to prevent scattering of bb’s across table surface.
- Demo Located in L01, section C1.
- Shine coherent light onto a spherical object and a dim spot of light appears in the center of the object’s circular shadow. This spot is called a Poisson spot, or Arago spot, and can be explained using the wave interpretation of light.
- Green or red lasers, diverting lens, optics track and components located in L35, section A. BB in glass slides located in L01, section B6.
