Insights Blog
-- Browse All Articles --
Physics Articles
Physics Tutorials
Physics Guides
Physics FAQ
Math Articles
Math Tutorials
Math Guides
Math FAQ
Education Articles
Education Guides
Bio/Chem Articles
Technology Guides
Computer Science Tutorials
Forums
Classical Physics
Quantum Physics
Quantum Interpretations
Special and General Relativity
Atomic and Condensed Matter
Nuclear and Particle Physics
Beyond the Standard Model
Cosmology
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Other Physics Topics
Trending
Featured Threads
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Classical Physics
Quantum Physics
Quantum Interpretations
Special and General Relativity
Atomic and Condensed Matter
Nuclear and Particle Physics
Beyond the Standard Model
Cosmology
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Other Physics Topics
Menu
Log in
Register
Navigation
More options
Contact us
Close Menu
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Forums
Physics
Quantum Physics
Do atoms recoil when emitting a photon?
Reply to thread
Message
[QUOTE="Dale, post: 6847524, member: 43978"] This is not generally true. The degrees of freedom include atomic electron orbitals, molecular electron orbitals, linear kinetic energy, rotational kinetic energy, molecular vibrations, longer range vibrational modes, and probably others I missed. These modes can be excited by photons of the appropriate energy, but to assume that they always are, originally are, or even usually are is incorrect. They can also be excited through collisions, phonons, relaxation, and other similar processes. Matter simply doesn’t work as simplistically as that. I suspect that your concept of bound photons is probably wrong. When a photon excites some degree of freedom (regardless of what kind of degree of freedom it is) that photon ceases to exist. It is not bound, it is destroyed. If it were not, then its energy would be unavailable to excite the degree of freedom. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Post reply
Forums
Physics
Quantum Physics
Do atoms recoil when emitting a photon?
Back
Top