If I acclerate and observe a photon, do I see the spin of the photon changing?

The baseball's spin and the photon's spin are not directly comparable, as the baseball is a macroscopic object and the photon is a quantum particle. However, both have spin angular momentum that is conserved in a closed system. So, when the catcher changes their approach, the spin of the photon will remain the same, but its angular momentum may change depending on the catcher's velocity. In summary, the spin of a photon will not change when the catcher changes their approach, but its angular momentum may change. This is similar to the conservation of angular momentum in the case of identical spinning baseballs being caught by gloves with different velocities.
  • #1
jartsa
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Let's say we have identical spinning baseball balls. We catch the balls into baseball gloves. The gloves have different velocities. Some glove may approach the ball from the equator, while another glove approaches from the pole, I mean the pole and the equator of the ball. As the balls have identical angular momentums, each glove's angular momentum changes the same amount.

Now let's replace the balls with photons. Photon's spin direction is perpendicular to it's propagation direction. So when photon catcher changes it's propagation direction, does the photon catcher see the spins of photons changing?

(The subject line means that I am accelerating myself)
 
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  • #2


No, charge, magnetic and spin are invariant. The spin of a baseball, as in sample, is related to the mass of the baseball, so will be variant.
 
  • #3


jartsa said:
. Photon's spin direction is perpendicular to it's propagation direction.
No. Photon's spin direction is along it's propagation direction.
 

1. How does acceleration affect the spin of a photon?

Accelerating a photon does not affect its spin. The spin of a photon is an intrinsic property and remains constant regardless of its acceleration.

2. Can we observe the spin of a photon?

No, the spin of a photon cannot be directly observed. It is a quantum property and can only be described by mathematical equations.

3. Can the spin of a photon change during acceleration?

No, the spin of a photon is an immutable property and does not change during acceleration. However, the direction of the spin relative to the photon's momentum may appear to change due to relativistic effects.

4. How is the spin of a photon related to its polarization?

The spin of a photon is closely related to its polarization. Polarization refers to the direction in which the electric field oscillates, which is determined by the spin of the photon.

5. Is the spin of a photon affected by external magnetic fields?

Yes, the spin of a photon can be affected by external magnetic fields. This phenomenon, known as the Zeeman effect, causes the energy levels of atoms to split when exposed to a magnetic field, leading to changes in the spin of photons emitted by those atoms.

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