How Can Light Travel Everywhere at Once? Feynman’s Path Integral Explained

Physics Explained February 18, 2025
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Physics Explained is a channel that explores advanced topics in physics without skimping on the mathematical detail. There is a growing community of independent learners who are keen to explore modern ideas in physics with the aid of mathematical reasoning. This channel aims to tackle advanced topics head on whilst at the same time providing a historical narrative to help provide context to the ideas. A bit about my educational background: I have a PhD in theoretical physics, specialising in string theory. I now dedicate most of my my time to physics education. You can help support this channel via the Physics Explained Patreon account: https://www.patreon.com/physicsexplained

Video Description

How can light take every possible path at the same time? In this video, we dive into Feynman’s path integral formulation of quantum mechanics to understand the behaviour of light by applying the approach to single slit and double slit interference. In the first section, we build an intuitive picture of how a photon “chooses” its path—from every point within a narrow slit to a specific spot on the screen—using a visual rotating arrow analogy. We then work through the mathematics to show how summing over all these possible paths reproduces the classic single-slit diffraction pattern. In the second section, we extend the approach to the double-slit experiment. By summing contributions from two separate slits, we reveal how quantum interference naturally gives rise to the well-known pattern of bright and dark fringes. You can help support this channel via the Physics Explained Patreon account: https://www.patreon.com/physicsexplained You can follow me on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/physics_explained_ig You can follow me on X: https://twitter.com/PhysicsExplain1