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July 3, 2010 02:59What does photons oscillate?i know generally that in waves in order for the energy to be transfered the particles of the median oscillate in order to transfer that energy, but in light the energy is in the photons ... so why do they need to oscillate since they can transfer that energy any way ? it is really difficult to get how light travels in any other way than straight! Neither of the 4 forces of nature ( electrostatic, gravity , weak nuclear , strong nuclear) affects light so what makes them oscillate? |
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It is true that the weak and strong nuclear force cannot affect light, but gravity do so, as photon is a particle, and not only in rare cases (i.e. dark holes), but even in the case of "small" bodies like our sun. Light is also affected by electromagnetism (i.e. Zeeman's effect, Faraday rotation), as it is an electromagnetic wave.
Now, about the oscillation. Photons don't oscilate. As you said, they are travelling in a "straight" line (straight line means the curved path that light follows because of gravity). What oscillates is their electromagnetic field. The oscillation of photon's field make light react like a wave.
If you want to find out how this oscillation is caused:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_Hertz#Electromagnetic_research
Generally, an electromagnetic wave can be produced by an alternating current.
how is light affected by gravity ... it has no mass
You are right, photons have no mass.
However, light is affected by gravityAccording to our current physic models, gravity is bending space and time into a kind of 4 dimensional cone around the object of mass. Light will always travel in a straight path, as you said, through time and space. When light passes near to a very massive object, light is still traveling in a straight path along the surface of time and space, but because time and space is bended near large objects, the path of the light appears to bend. Take for example the GRAVITATIONAL LENS.
If the object is really massive, like a black hole, it will bend space so much, that the straight path will not be able to escape from the curvature. Light is directly affected from the black hole as are other objects of mass, but it is indirectly affected due to the curvature of space near massive objects.