4 ms·
I think the rub is in the, "if we could stop a photon...". We can't. From the photon's perspective there is no time elapse. The photon doesn't believe time h
by yequalsx 12y ago
I think the rub is in the, "if we could stop a photon...". We can't. From the photon's perspective there is no time elapse. The photon doesn't believe time has lasted forever. I imagine it would not even understand the concept.
I believe that it is not possible for an infinite amount of time to have elapsed before this moment in time. I think that is what the quote in question is attempting to state.
- erichocean 12y ago> I think the rub is in the, "if we could stop a photon...". We can't. Scientists "freeze" light inside a crystal for one minute. [0] Stopping single photons in one-dimensional circuit quantum electrodynamics systems [1] [0] http://www.gizmag.com/stopping-light-inside-crystal/28610/ http://www.gizmag.com/stopping-light-inside-crystal/28610/ [1] http://www.ese.wustl.edu/~jushen/Papers/Stopping_Single_Photons_Shen.pdf http://www.ese.wustl.edu/~jushen/Papers/Stopping_Single_Phot...
- yequalsx 12y agoI mean stop it in the sense of the perspective of the photon. I don't know enough physics but I suspect that from the photon's perspective it hasn't stopped. This is because there is no time elapse from the photon's perspective. The other points in my previous post remain valid. I think!
- StuffMaster 12y agoThose experiments always use variations on the word "stop". The speed of light does not vary. In those experiments, "stop" usually means absorbed and later re-emitted.