Can Photons Orbit in Flat Spacetime?

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SUMMARY

This discussion centers on the behavior of photons in flat spacetime, specifically whether two photons can orbit each other while traveling parallel. It concludes that since photons have no rest mass and are outside each other's light cones, they cannot transfer gravitational information, making stable orbital paths impossible. The conversation emphasizes that gravity, while influenced by the presence of mass, operates independently of the light cone constraints, yet is still limited by the speed of light, approximately 299,792,458 m/s.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of flat spacetime concepts
  • Familiarity with photon properties and behavior
  • Knowledge of gravitational interactions and light cones
  • Basic grasp of the speed of light as a universal constant
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the implications of massless particles in quantum mechanics
  • Explore the concept of light cones in general relativity
  • Study gravitational waves and their interaction with light
  • Investigate the properties of black holes and escape velocity
USEFUL FOR

Physicists, astrophysicists, and students of theoretical physics interested in the dynamics of light and gravity in spacetime.

duordi
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Two photons are traveling parallel to one another.
Can the photons orbit one another perpendicular to the direction of travel?

That is can the photons follow a stable long spiral path in flat space-time.

The photons have no rest mass but they are not at rest.

If they are traveling ( almost ) parallel paths they would be outside each others light cone and therefore no gravitational information can be transferred from one photon to another.

Gravity however is directed toward where an object is and experiences no time delay, it also escapes a black hole so it seems to have properties which may escape a light cone.
 
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duordi said:
Two photons are traveling parallel to one another.
Can the photons orbit one another perpendicular to the direction of travel?

That is can the photons follow a stable long spiral path in flat space-time.

The photons have no rest mass but they are not at rest.

If they are traveling ( almost ) parallel paths they would be outside each others light cone and therefore no gravitational information can be transferred from one photon to another.

Gravity however is directed toward where an object is and experiences no time delay, it also escapes a black hole so it seems to have properties which may escape a light cone.

Gravity is limited by the speed of light.

Think of c as a fundamental constraint on EVERYTHING, if it can be used to transmit information then it cannot travel any faster than c (299,792,458m/s).
 

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