Let me rephrase the question – Do we call the Visible Spectrum that because that’s what we can see or is there something different about that part of electromagnetic spectrum (ES) that allow vision to occur. Alternately, If light is dual in nature, being both a wave and a particle, is that the same for other parts of the ES?
Which brings me to the question that I’m most curious about; would it be possible for a creature exist that can see, the same way we see, but using frequencies from other areas of the ES?
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No there’s nothing special about the visible spectrum, those are just the frequencies our eyes respond to. Some animals can indeed see in infrared or ultraviolet (butterflies, bees, mosquitos, some birds, etc). Yes the wave/particle duality applies to all frequencies.
Light, EM radiation, photons, localized excitation of the EM field… these are different descriptions of the same thing. Visible light is just light our eyes have evolved to react to, but other animals have different visible spectra. Some animals can see polarization states of light, others see near-UV or UV, some snakes can “see” in IR through their pit organs.
There’s nothing special about the light itself, it’s just the structures life uses to interact with them.
Light, EM radiation, photons, localized excitation of the EM field… these are different descriptions of the same thing. Visible light is just light our eyes have evolved to react to, but other animals have different visible spectra. Some animals can see polarization states of light, others see near-UV or UV, some snakes can “see” in IR through their pit organs.
There’s nothing special about the light itself, it’s just the structures life uses to interact with them.
Light, EM radiation, photons, localized excitation of the EM field… these are different descriptions of the same thing. Visible light is just light our eyes have evolved to react to, but other animals have different visible spectra. Some animals can see polarization states of light, others see near-UV or UV, some snakes can “see” in IR through their pit organs.
There’s nothing special about the light itself, it’s just the structures life uses to interact with them.
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