Undergrad Does a Photon Carry Velocity of Its Source?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the behavior of photons in relation to their source's velocity. It establishes that while a thrown ball retains the momentum of Earth's movement, a photon does not carry a velocity component from its source, such as Earth's movement through space. The speed of light remains constant and independent of the source, adhering to the principles of momentum conservation. However, the direction, wavelength, frequency, energy, and momentum of the photon are influenced by the source.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of the principles of momentum conservation
  • Basic knowledge of light properties, including wavelength and frequency
  • Familiarity with the concept of reference frames in physics
  • Awareness of the speed of light as a constant in vacuum
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the implications of the constancy of the speed of light in different reference frames
  • Explore the relationship between energy, frequency, and wavelength of photons
  • Study the effects of gravitational fields on light propagation
  • Investigate the concept of relativistic momentum in high-speed scenarios
USEFUL FOR

Physicists, students of physics, and anyone interested in the fundamental properties of light and its interaction with motion and momentum.

vincent
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Earth is moving through space. If I throw a ball straight up, it falls down to me and is not left behind. This is obviously because it already carries the momentum of Earth's movement. But if I fire a photon straight up, does it also carry a velocity component in direction of Earth's movement?
If not, then it must be free of all the velocity components like movement of solar system through galaxy etc.
 
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Of course. Light must respect the conservation of momentum just like everything else does.
 
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It is just it’s speed that is independent of the source. It’s direction, wavelength, frequency, energy and momentum all depend on the source.
 
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In an inertial frame of reference (IFR), there are two fixed points, A and B, which share an entangled state $$ \frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}(|0>_A|1>_B+|1>_A|0>_B) $$ At point A, a measurement is made. The state then collapses to $$ |a>_A|b>_B, \{a,b\}=\{0,1\} $$ We assume that A has the state ##|a>_A## and B has ##|b>_B## simultaneously, i.e., when their synchronized clocks both read time T However, in other inertial frames, due to the relativity of simultaneity, the moment when B has ##|b>_B##...

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