Light is analog ...

 

A Simple Matter of 3

About two years ago, yours truly guessed about light being analog in free space based on astounding insights by Fourier, Einstein, Planck, de Broglie and Maxwell, along with Alvy Ray Smith and my experience with graphics and video as light, in free space, is a wave as proven by endless experiments beginning in 1801 by Thomas Young's incredible Double Slit experiment. 

An illustration of the 'Double-slit experiment' in physics.

As per Matter Wave ...

Light is extremely weird. Either analog or digital, depending on its state, photons, the force carrier of the electromagnetic, is an analog wave when traveling in free space but when absorbed by an electron, it becomes digital or a packet of energy i.e. quantum as it must transform in such a way for it to be properly absorbed by, in this case, an electron. When a electron's energy level drops, the photon emitted reverts back to being an analog wave, which means ... reality is analog with digital override, endlessly switching from one to the other as needs warrant. According to Louis de Broglie, this notion of matter/wave/digital/analog duality applies to all particles, which means reality is in constant flux, forever switching from one state to the other, forever driven by the two laws of thermodynamics whereby energy can neither be created or destroyed, only transformed and  ... in a natural thermodynamic process, the sum of the entropies of the interacting thermodynamic systems never decreases. A common corollary of the statement is that heat does not spontaneously pass from a colder body to a warmer body. What's even stranger is whenever a particle is "measured", it becomes, in effect, digital just as a photon becomes digital whenever its absorbed by any given particle. This analog/digital duality also applies to the other force particles as well.

The Photoelectric Effect

The emission of electrons from a metal plate caused by light quanta – photons

Note: Photons are bosons, the force carrier, in this instance, of electromagnetism,

Why the repeat? Well, it seems Clark Maxwell's discovery of light being electro/magnetic enables light to dance, to twist and move through space on it's own, thus proving, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that light, aka photons, is analog in free space.

In 1900, Maxwell's theoretical model of light as oscillating electric and magnetic fields seemed complete. However, several observations could not be explained by any wave model of electromagnetic radiation, leading to the idea that light-energy was packaged into quanta described by E = hν. Later experiments showed that these light-quanta also carry momentum and, thus, can be considered particles: The photon concept was born, leading to a deeper understanding of the electric and magnetic fields themselves.

The experiment proving this to be true.

Maxwell's vision circa 2026

Researchers at the University of East Anglia have identified a previously unknown property of light that allows it to twist, spin, and behave in unusual ways – without the need for mirrors, materials, or specialized lenses.

This result challenges long-standing assumptions, showing that light can develop chiral behavior – meaning it can act like a left or right hand – while moving freely through space.

He continues, “One extreme example is light that twists as it travels, forming a corkscrew shape known as an optical vortex. Each twist can carry information, making this kind of light valuable for high-speed internet, secure communications, and advanced sensors.”

Maxwell's take in 1900 shows why light is a dancer after all. Click here for the paper. 

Representation of the electric field vector of a wave
of circularly polarized electromagnetic radiation

Proof positive why light moves and dances on it's own. :)