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Light 101
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by EricSoLazy
on 2005-08-08 15:24:33 (edited 2005-08-08 18:19:00)
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I have written most of these facts at least more than twice in random threads, i hope this helps some people better understand light Light is the visable part of the electromagnetic waves to the human eye, but for this conversation light will refer to all of it, cause its shorter to type. Light consists of photons, the carrier of the electromagnetic force, one of the four fundamental forces (others being gravity, strong nuclear and weak nuclear). All fundamental forces travel at 300 km/s, or commonly refered to as the speed of light. Light is NOT relative, the speed of light will be 300 km/s no matter how fast you are moving. Light is also considered to be both a wave and a particle depending on how you wish to view it, look into the double slit experiment for further coolness about this. Light travls through space-time just like anything else, notable by the fact that it bends around high density objects, and gets pulled into black holes. Even though light bends it cannot be slowed, even with Bose Einstien condenstate, the light itself never slows down but because of the density of the mass, it takes more time for light to be absorbed and released, thus expanding the time it take for the light to move from point A to B.
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Re: Light 101
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by
on 2005-08-08 18:00:15 (edited 2005-08-08 18:24:29)
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See: Bose Einstein Condensate 
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Re: Light 101
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by EricSoLazy
on 2005-08-08 18:19:55
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thanks, how hard would it be to add a spell check in a forum?
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Re: Light 101
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by
on 2005-08-08 18:24:43 (edited 2005-08-08 18:25:24)
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really really hard. i have been reading about the whole slowing down light thing. its pretty interesting, but a little beyond my understanding.
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Re: Light 101
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by EricSoLazy
on 2005-08-08 19:04:38
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Ok, first off Bose Einstein Condenstate is nothing more than a gas that is super condense, normally when gas condenses it turns into solid, but with this "stuff" it remains to not form the molecular bonds thats solids do, but have an extreme density. Due to the lack of intermolecular bonding when light passes through a Bose Einstein Condenstate the photons are absorbed by a single molecule and released, then on to the next one and so forth. Normally a molecule asborbing photons and releasing them is fast, very fast, beyond fast, such that its considered instant in most problems involing light. But with Bose Einstein Condestates there are millions of these instants in a small space and the time in which that process occurs builds up and adds to the time it takes light to pass through points A and B and thus reducing its overall velocity. BUT, the speed of light does not change inbetween the molecules. Its like light is walking in a crowded mall rather than an open hallway, all that bumping around "slows" it down.
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Re: Light 101
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by
on 2005-08-08 20:51:18 |
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thats a good explanation! im still a bit troubled by some of the theory of Bose Einstein Condenstate because i dont know what it means when they say "all of the atoms are share the same quantum state". also, it would be nice to see the math responsible for their prediction of such a phenomena.
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Re: Light 101
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by EricSoLazy
on 2005-08-09 15:55:43
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hmm, I had to restudy to answer that question properly and it seems I missed something vital to understanding and well I was wrong before Bose Einstien condenstates are not jsut incredibly dense but all the atoms share the same quantum state or they share the same point in space, yes..it seems impossible but certain gases consisting of only bosons chilled to amazing low tempertures they share the same point in space (note its not point in space but quantum state, but thier probablity of location and movement is the exact same). But the whole light not slowing down in between the atoms.. thats was on the money.
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Re: Light 101
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by
on 2005-08-09 16:07:40 |
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so if i understnd correctly, the "quantum state" of a particle is it's probability of movement and location. the bosons arent occupying the same space per say, rather you are likely to oberve all of them in the same place if you should decide to look. similarly, they share the same movement vector, so light reacts in this surprising way when it comes into contact with them. thanks to EricsoLazy! you have sparked my interest in subatomic physics. yesterday i read all about Quantum Chromodynamics, which is very abstract and confusing. I love how the analogy to Color works so well with the eightfold way.
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Re: Light 101
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by EricSoLazy
on 2005-08-09 16:44:09
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Im sorry that I sparked an interest in subatomic physics, it was never my intention, it is a world of paradox and high level calculus, and they dont mix well.
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Re: Light 101
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by
on 2005-08-09 18:49:55 |
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haha no i love physics why do you think there is an entire topic dedicated to it? rather than calculus, Quantum Chromatics has more to do with set theory. SU(3) and stuff. kind of interesting.
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Re: Light 101
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by EricSoLazy
on 2005-08-09 19:47:44
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oh physics is great and wonderful, but on one drunken saturday night physics had a one night stand with the devil and had a love child called quantum physics in which it regrets to this day. And yes, Chromodynamics is very interesting. I find the four fundemental forces to be much more interesting than particles.
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Re: Light 101
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by
on 2005-08-09 20:40:31 |
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well, ask a quantum physicist and they will tell you it is really THREE forces: gravitational, stong-nuclear, and electro-weak! :P *nerd laugh* yea, quantum physics must have been dropped as a child, cause it has lots of breaks in symmetry! *nerd snort*
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Re: Light 101
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by EricSoLazy
on 2005-08-10 14:56:14
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well i dont know, at high engeries electomagnetic and weak become the same force, but thoerically at super high engeries all of them unify, so really there is ONE. But im still old school and will refer to four forces due to the fact there are four gauge fields and bosons... and wow, i know some nerdy jokes, but damn that was bad. So heisenberg is speeding down the interstate and a cop pulls him over and asks "do you know how fast you were going?" heisenberg replies "No, but i do know where I am!"
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