What is a photon?

[Votto]

And if you say "energy", what is energy?

This is the best I could find.

The photon is a type of elementary particle, the quantum of the electromagnetic field including electromagnetic radiation such as light, and the force carrier for the electromagnetic force (even when static via virtual particles). The photon has zero rest mass and always moves at the speed of light within a vacuum

Are we Ok with the term energy without really questioning what energy really is?

Science tells us that photons have no mass?

Obviously, when transitioning to atoms mass is either created or simply slows down so that it can be measured

Considering the laws of science, we must opt for the last possibility

 

[evenflow1969]

And if you say "energy", what is energy?

This is the best I could find.

The photon is a type of elementary particle, the quantum of the electromagnetic field including electromagnetic radiation such as light, and the force carrier for the electromagnetic force (even when static via virtual particles). The photon has zero rest mass and always moves at the speed of light within a vacuum

Are we Ok with the term energy without really questioning what energy really is?

Science tells us that photons have no mass?

Obviously, when transitioning to atoms mass is either created or simply slows down so that it can be measured

Considering the laws of science, we must opt for the last possibility

It is one of the strangest things in physics. Evidently it is wave while traveling through the ether and turns to a particle when it hits a medium. They evidntly caught one changing phase recently.
Quantum phase transition observed for the first time: Photon-blockade breakdown observed experimentally
The Logic-Defying Double-Slit Experiment Is Even Weirder Than You Thought
Interesting stuff.

 

[evenflow1969]

And if you say "energy", what is energy?

This is the best I could find.

The photon is a type of elementary particle, the quantum of the electromagnetic field including electromagnetic radiation such as light, and the force carrier for the electromagnetic force (even when static via virtual particles). The photon has zero rest mass and always moves at the speed of light within a vacuum

Are we Ok with the term energy without really questioning what energy really is?

Science tells us that photons have no mass?

Obviously, when transitioning to atoms mass is either created or simply slows down so that it can be measured

Considering the laws of science, we must opt for the last possibility

It is one of the strangest things in physics. Evidently it is wave while traveling through the ether and turns to a particle when it hits a medium. They evidntly caught one changing phase recently.
Quantum phase transition observed for the first time: Photon-blockade breakdown observed experimentally
The Logic-Defying Double-Slit Experiment Is Even Weirder Than You Thought
Interesting stuff.

I am very interested in particle physics and I am hear to tell you that updated slit experiment made my jaw drop. Real evidence of the multi-vers and potential unlimited probability theory. Taking old schrodinger's cat to a new level.

 

[alang1216]

And if you say "energy", what is energy?

This is the best I could find.

The photon is a type of elementary particle, the quantum of the electromagnetic field including electromagnetic radiation such as light, and the force carrier for the electromagnetic force (even when static via virtual particles). The photon has zero rest mass and always moves at the speed of light within a vacuum

Are we Ok with the term energy without really questioning what energy really is?

Science tells us that photons have no mass?

Obviously, when transitioning to atoms mass is either created or simply slows down so that it can be measured

Considering the laws of science, we must opt for the last possibility

quantum physics makes my head hurt. there is something fundamental about the universe we still don't understand.

 

[toobfreak]

Obviously, when transitioning to atoms mass is either created or simply slows down so that it can be measured

Most of what you say except the above is fundamentally correct. What is energy? It is the conservation of potential work stored within quanta which animates the universe set forth from the Big Bang. However, "energy" such as photons, is merely a point-source of potential work free in of itself not contained within a set field of space-time, therefore, it can never be at rest either in location nor in moment and manifests itself to us instead as a wave function of statistical probability mechanics as seen from the framework of spacetime.

But as soon as you combine photons with fermions, they combine to form hadrons which can now interact with the field of space-time which is actually a shadow (Higgs) field emanating from dark matter, giving hadrons their inertial mass which demands they be now fixed at rest both in location and moment. That is why while energy is essentially eternal, matter is only temporal (changes in form over time). It is the inertial interaction of hadrons within the gravitational frame of dark matter that defines "mass." Mass is neither created nor destroyed, but is merely defined as the degree or strength of interaction with the Higgs Field.

 

[fncceo]

Something folks on 'Star Trek' make torpedoes out of.

 

[james bond]

How can light which is massless be affected by gravity?

 

[fncceo]

How can light which is massless be affected by gravity?

Because light travels in spacetime, which is curved and folded by gravity.

 

[toobfreak]

How can light which is massless be affected by gravity?

Because light travels in spacetime, which is curved and folded by gravity.

What fncceo said.

Put another way, gravity doesn't so much bend space as a weight bends a board, gravity IS the curvature of space, effected by the presence of dark matter.

Our weight upon the Earth isn't the pull of the Earth on us like a magnet, we are in effect falling inward along the curvature of space the Earth creates. When light travels through curved space-time imposed by a massive body, it is the space that is curved, not the line of travel for the photon itself. Within that curved space, the line traveled by light is still straight as an arrow---- it is only seen as being curved by an observer outside that space in reference to somewhere else.

Indeed, what we see around us as dead balls-on straight to ourselves might indeed be very curved to an observer somewhere else in the universe.

It would seem that MC Escher was closer to the truth all along:

 

[CrusaderFrank]

This is why "settled science" is for morons

 

[Votto]

How can light which is massless be affected by gravity?

Because light travels in spacetime, which is curved and folded by gravity.

What fncceo said.

Put another way, gravity doesn't so much bend space as a weight bends a board, gravity IS the curvature of space, effected by the presence of dark matter.

Our weight upon the Earth isn't the pull of the Earth on us like a magnet, we are in effect falling inward along the curvature of space the Earth creates. When light travels through curved space-time imposed by a massive body, it is the space that is curved, not the line of travel for the photon itself. Within that curved space, the line traveled by light is still straight as an arrow---- it is only seen as being curved by an observer outside that space in reference to somewhere else.

Indeed, what we see around us as dead balls-on straight to ourselves might indeed be very curved to an observer somewhere else in the universe.

It would seem that MC Escher was closer to the truth all along:


View attachment 245679

Right, so gravity is the curvature of empty space.

Thanks for that.

Now if you will excuse me, I have a building to jump off of.

The more I learn about what is there, but is not really, the more I question if anything is real at all.

 

[mudwhistle]

And if you say "energy", what is energy?

This is the best I could find.

The photon is a type of elementary particle, the quantum of the electromagnetic field including electromagnetic radiation such as light, and the force carrier for the electromagnetic force (even when static via virtual particles). The photon has zero rest mass and always moves at the speed of light within a vacuum

Are we Ok with the term energy without really questioning what energy really is?

Science tells us that photons have no mass?

Obviously, when transitioning to atoms mass is either created or simply slows down so that it can be measured

Considering the laws of science, we must opt for the last possibility

It is one of the strangest things in physics. Evidently it is wave while traveling through the ether and turns to a particle when it hits a medium. They evidntly caught one changing phase recently.
Quantum phase transition observed for the first time: Photon-blockade breakdown observed experimentally
The Logic-Defying Double-Slit Experiment Is Even Weirder Than You Thought
Interesting stuff.

I am very interested in particle physics and I am hear to tell you that updated slit experiment made my jaw drop. Real evidence of the multi-vers and potential unlimited probability theory. Taking old schrodinger's cat to a new level.

Yep, never know if that sucker's alive or dead till you try it.

 

[Coloradomtnman]

Obviously, when transitioning to atoms mass is either created or simply slows down so that it can be measured

Most of what you say except the above is fundamentally correct. What is energy? It is the conservation of potential work stored within quanta which animates the universe set forth from the Big Bang. However, "energy" such as photons, is merely a point-source of potential work free in of itself not contained within a set field of space-time, therefore, it can never be at rest either in location nor in moment and manifests itself to us instead as a wave function of statistical probability mechanics as seen from the framework of spacetime.

But as soon as you combine photons with fermions, they combine to form hadrons which can now interact with the field of space-time which is actually a shadow (Higgs) field emanating from dark matter, giving hadrons their inertial mass which demands they be now fixed at rest both in location and moment. That is why while energy is essentially eternal, matter is only temporal (changes in form over time). It is the inertial interaction of hadrons within the gravitational frame of dark matter that defines "mass." Mass is neither created nor destroyed, but is merely defined as the degree or strength of interaction with the Higgs Field.

That is the best description of energy I’ve ever read. Well put.

 

[toobfreak]

Something folks on 'Star Trek' make torpedoes out of.

It saddens me a little that in subsequent Star Trek series, they made photon torpedoes into little pill-shaped containers they launched at other ships carrying an unknown power source. In the original series, the original thinking was that a photon torpedo had no solidity or container at all and was indeed a pure energy weapon kind of like the ship was spitting out a lump of some of its pure warp plasma that powered the main engines.

 

[fncceo]

Something folks on 'Star Trek' make torpedoes out of.

View attachment 245742

It saddens me a little that in subsequent Star Trek series, they made photon torpedoes into little pill-shaped containers they launched at other ships carrying an unknown power source. In the original series, the original thinking was that a photon torpedo had no solidity or container at all and was indeed a pure energy weapon kind of like the ship was spitting out a lump of some of its pure warp plasma that powered the main engines.

While photon torpedoes, lasers, phasers, particle weapons, etc, are very cinematic. They aren't very practical weapons.

Tracers point both ways.

 

[james bond]

How can light which is massless be affected by gravity?

Because light travels in spacetime, which is curved and folded by gravity.

What fncceo said.

Put another way, gravity doesn't so much bend space as a weight bends a board, gravity IS the curvature of space, effected by the presence of dark matter.

Our weight upon the Earth isn't the pull of the Earth on us like a magnet, we are in effect falling inward along the curvature of space the Earth creates. When light travels through curved space-time imposed by a massive body, it is the space that is curved, not the line of travel for the photon itself. Within that curved space, the line traveled by light is still straight as an arrow---- it is only seen as being curved by an observer outside that space in reference to somewhere else.

Indeed, what we see around us as dead balls-on straight to ourselves might indeed be very curved to an observer somewhere else in the universe.

It would seem that MC Escher was closer to the truth all along:


View attachment 245679

Right, so gravity is the curvature of empty space.

Thanks for that.

Now if you will excuse me, I have a building to jump off of.

The more I learn about what is there, but is not really, the more I question if anything is real at all.

That's not what he said. He said light (massless) curves because it follows the curvature of spacetime. Unless gravity is spacetime, it doesn't affect light.