Bright and dark collective states of light: a corpuscular explanation of interference patterns

• Grant number: 25/24959-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2025
• End date: November 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics
• Principal Investigator: Celso Jorge Villas-Bôas
• Grantee: Rafael Lewinsohn Fraguas
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 22/00209-6 - Second generation quantum technologies, AP.TEM

Abstract

This project aims to investigate and understand the foundations of the wave-particle duality and the principles of electromagnetic field quantization through numerical simulations. A thorough theoretical study will be conducted on the principles of Quantum Mechanics, the quantization of the electromagnetic field, radiation-matter interaction, and the dynamics of interacting systems. In particular, our focus will be on understanding how the interference patterns observed in wave superposition can be explained solely by the corpuscular behavior of radiation. In this context, we will analyze different types of wave superposition, such as double-slit experiments, single-slit diffraction problems, and standing waves in resonators. To facilitate the understanding of these behaviors, we will employ computational simulations in Python to analyze the dynamics of wave and quantum systems.