Re: Curvature of Space

[Joseph Bellina <jbellina@saintmarys.edu>]

The situation I am imagining would involve a very large field gradient=20
outside of a metal surface, which the photons through on a path similar=20
to that of the photons passing the sun.  Imagine if you wish  a 100 nm=20
charged metal sphere  in a laser beam.

cheers

On Fri, 20 Feb 1998, Leigh Palmer=20
wrote:

> > Scattering of light by a strong electric field is called Delbrueck
> > scattering.  It is observable when a photon scatters from the field
> > of an atomic nucleus.  See Jauch and Rohrlich, "The Theory of Photons
> > and Electrons", section 15-8.  In terms of Feynman diagrams, the
> > incoming photon splits into an electron-positron pair, which must
> > interact with the static field not once but twice (or more), then
> > recombine to form the outgoing photon.  What we call a "photon", you
> > see, is really a seething bundle of virtual particles, including
> > electron-positron pairs that can be deflected by an electromagnetic
> > field.
> =20
> Yes, but single photons refrain from doing so for reasons of
> discretion and simultaneous energy and momentum conservation *in
> free space*. Delbr=FCck scattering requires an interlocutory atom
> to mediate the momentum problem.
> =20
> I took the original question to refer to the deflection of a
> photon in an electric field. Nothing was said about the presence
> of another object; if that is allowed why not just add a
> gravitational field; that works - or perhaps a Venetian blind.
> =20
> How come no one attacks my symmetry argument for nondeflection?
> I thought it was pretty cute; I'd like to know if it has any
> holes in it.
> =20
> Leigh
> =20
> =20
> =20