- #1
Phalanx
- 10
- 0
Ok, i have recently been trying to learn a lot about light, and I have found that the reason the speed of light is slower in dense materials is because of the photon-atom interactions.
However, I have also been taught that when a photon is absorbed by an atom that an electron in that atom jumps from its current energy shell to a higher one, then jumps back down emitting a pulse of light that is the same energy as the original. My question is how does that pulse of light "know" to go in the same direction as the original as opposed to scattering randomly. I feel like my understanding of the photon/particle interaction needs to be expanded upon.
However, I have also been taught that when a photon is absorbed by an atom that an electron in that atom jumps from its current energy shell to a higher one, then jumps back down emitting a pulse of light that is the same energy as the original. My question is how does that pulse of light "know" to go in the same direction as the original as opposed to scattering randomly. I feel like my understanding of the photon/particle interaction needs to be expanded upon.