Phase (waves) - Phase Coherence

Phase Coherence

Coherence is the quality of a wave to display well defined phase relationship in different regions of its domain of definition.

In physics, quantum mechanics ascribes waves to physical objects. The wave function is complex and since its square modulus is associated with the probability of observing the object, the complex character of the wave function is associated to the phase. Since the complex algebra is responsible for the striking interference effect of quantum mechanics, phase of particles is therefore ultimately related to their quantum behavior.

Read more about this topic:  Phase (waves)

Famous quotes containing the words phase and/or coherence:

    I had let preadolescence creep up on me without paying much attention—and I seriously underestimated this insidious phase of child development. You hear about it, but you’re not a true believer until it jumps out at you in the shape of your own, until recently quite companionable child.
    Susan Ferraro (20th century)

    Twentieth-century art may start with nothing, but it flourishes by virtue of its belief in itself, in the possibility of control over what seems essentially uncontrollable, in the coherence of the inchoate, and in its ability to create its own values.
    A. Alvarez (b. 1929)