Waves

[Guille]

I wasn't sure where to start this thread, so I decided here.

I was wondering if waves, thought as the slits of particles, should have a property called "wave speed". Does this exist? if not, why? if yes, how is it calculated? if not, would it be possible to have equations for it?

[dleviwing]

I was wondering if waves, thought as the slits of particles, should have a property called "wave speed". Does this exist? if not, why? if yes, how is it calculated? if not, would it be possible to have equations for it?

Guille;
You need to explain better of what you mean.

[Guille]

Guille;
You need to explain better of what you mean.

I mean the speed at which each slit or the avarage of the speed of slits of particles.

For example, in light, this "wave speed" is the speed of light, because it is the speed of the particles.

another question to add, would this "wave speed" be compatible to the other wave properties?

[AntonioLao]

According to the theory of optics (geometrical or quantum optics), all waves are associated with two kind of velocities (whose absolute magnitudes are the respective speeds), the group velocity and the phase velocity. See site

http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/phys...pVelocity.html

and

http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/phys...eVelocity.html

the product of group velocity and phase velocity is the square of the speed of light in vacuum. Note that for a photon energy is propagated at the group velocity, so that for light the group velocity is the same as the phase velocity but for an electron, its group velocity is less than light, therefore its phase velocity is superluminal. This phase velocity of matter can also explain quantum entanglements, which is also superluminal but does not carry any information of energy.