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Quantum Electrodynamics (Qed) | Research & Encyclopedia Articles

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Quantum electrodynamics Summary

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Quantum Electrodynamics (Qed)

Quantum electrodynamics (QED) is a scientific theory that is also known as the quantum theory of light. QED describes the quantum properties (properties that are conserved and that occur in discrete amounts called quanta) and mechanics associated with the interaction of light (i.e., electromagnetic radiation) with matter. The practical value of QED rests upon its ability, as a set of equations, to allow calculations related to the absorption and emission of light by atoms and to allow scientists to make very accurate predictions regarding the result of the interactions between photons and charged atomic particles such as electrons. QED is a fundamentally important scientific theory because it accounts for all observed physical phenomena except those associated with aspects of relativity theory and radioactive decay.

QED is a complex and highly mathematical theory that paints a picture of light that is counter-intuitive to everyday human experience. According to QED theory, light exists in a duality consisting of both particle and wave-like properties. More specifically, QED asserts that electromagnetism results from the quantum behavior of the photon, the fundamental "particle" responsible for the transmission electromagnetic radiation. According to QED theory, a seeming particle vacuum actually consists of electron-positron fields.

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Quantum Electrodynamics (Qed) from World of Earth Science. ©2005-2006 Thomson Gale, a part of the Thomson Corporation. All rights reserved.

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