[General] On photon momentum

Chip Akins chipakins at gmail.com
Sat Jan 28 17:20:47 PST 2017


Hi Dr Grahame Blackwell

 

I do not have a definition for the creation of momentum which is accepted by the physics community in general, and I too have been searching for such a cause.  In that search I reviewed carefully the notes I have from a Harvard class on waves in a material medium, but again I felt left empty of a definition which could apply to waves in space.

 

That is what prompted me to consider that the same mechanism which causes Planck’s rule may also be the cause for wave momentum in space.  And this is why I have been doing research regarding possible solution for the momentum of EM radiation.

 

If energy propagating through space has a means of producing the impulse we see as momentum then this momentum in confined (principally circular) propagation of energy would clearly show cause for inertial mass.

 

As sort of a companion to the “Waves in Space” piece I sent, I have been writing a “Fundamental Momentum” paper as well.

 

I am still working on the rest of the supporting evidence for the main premise of those two articles. Hoping to have exactly what you suggested eventually. I think the answer must lie in the space tensor which opposes displacement.

 

 

Chip

 

 

 

From: General [mailto:general-bounces+chipakins=gmail.com at lists.natureoflightandparticles.org] On Behalf Of Dr Grahame Blackwell
Sent: Saturday, January 28, 2017 6:12 PM
To: Nature of Light and Particles - General Discussion <general at lists.natureoflightandparticles.org>
Subject: [General] On photon momentum

 

Dear All,

[Notably Chandra & Chip],

 

I'm having a bit of a problem over this question of: 'How does a photon carry momentum'? (or similar words.)

It seems to me that in order to even beginning to address this question, one needs a clear definition of 'momentum' that's applicable to the momentum carried by a photon.

I may be looking in the wrong places (if so please advise), but the only definitions of momentum that I can find either refer to 'mass' or refer to some other phenomenon which in turn refers to momentum - i.e. circular references.

If I'm going to figure, or be persuaded, how a photon carries momentum I first need to know what momentum IS in respect of a photon (yes, I know it's E/c, that's a measure it's not a definition).

Of course I'm aware of the paper "Light is heavy", but I don't feel it's appropriate just to extract from that some sort of mass-equivalence of a photon.  If we do, we get the result that 'm'=E/c^2, so 'm'c = E/c - gives the right result, but appears to be some sort of convoluted self-confirmation (i.e. a circular argument dressed up in fancy clothes).  It certainly doesn't DEFINE a photon's momentum, just evaluates it.

 

Does anyone have a convincing definition of momentum that's applicable to a photon?  One that can be used as a firm basis for theorising?

(I'd be glad if colleagues didn't use this as an excuse to yet again present their own personal theory/model - I'm looking for a definition that would be agreed by all, or at least most, physicists.)

 

Thanks in anticipation,

Grahame

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