Does doppler effect affect ENERGY of photon?

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SUMMARY

The Doppler effect significantly influences the perceived energy and frequency of photons based on the observer's motion relative to the source. When an observer moves away from a photon-emitting source, the frequency of the photons reaching the observer decreases, resulting in a redshift. The energy of a photon, defined by the equation E=hν, remains constant for each individual photon, but its perceived frequency and energy can change depending on the observer's reference frame. Thus, an observer can perceive different colors based on their relative motion, affecting the threshold frequency necessary for phenomena such as the photoelectric effect.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of the Doppler effect in light waves
  • Knowledge of photon energy and frequency relationship (E=hν)
  • Familiarity with the photoelectric effect and threshold frequency
  • Basic principles of relativity and reference frames
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the implications of the Doppler effect on light in astrophysics
  • Study the photoelectric effect and its dependence on photon frequency
  • Explore the concept of relativistic energy and momentum of photons
  • Investigate the relationship between observer velocity and perceived color shifts
USEFUL FOR

Physicists, students of optics and relativity, and anyone interested in the interactions between light and motion, particularly in the context of energy perception and the photoelectric effect.

ARAVIND113122
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does doppler effect affect ENERGY of photon??

i have tried to make the question as clear as possible,but in the process,have made it a bit too long. i request you to be patient-
suppose a source is emitting a photon after equal intervals of time.an observer,who was initially at rest w.r.t the source,starts to move away from it.this would increase the time interval after which the photon reaches the observer.this means that the frequency of photons reaching the observer decreases,i.e,the apparent wavelength of light increases.

now,energy of a photon is given by e=h√.
suppose the photons emitted by the source have frequency corresponding to that of blue light.when the observer starts to move away,the light,according to the observer,would seem to have shifted towards the red end of the spectrum .

am i right in saying that although the actual frequency of each individual photon[which gives it its energy] remains the same,the frequency PERCEIVED by the human eye decreases?to be more specific,i want to know if the human eye perceives colour based on the INTRINSIC frequency of a photon,or the frequency with which successive photons hit the eye.
if the latter is true,then it wouldn't it mean that an EM wave of ANY frequency can be perceived as that of ANY OTHER frequency by the eye[despite having different energies according to their ACTUAL frequencies{given by E=h√}],depending on the motion of the source w.r.t the source?
or does doppler effect affect the initial frequency of the photon?if so,how?
is the answer a combination of different factors?if yes,how?
 
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Both the energy and frequency of a photon depend on the observer's reference frame. There is no such thing as "actual" (absolute) frequency or energy, for a photon.

When a photon enters your eye, the sensation of color that it produces depends on its frequency (or energy) in your reference frame.

Indeed, in principle if you accelerate to a high-enough velocity towards an oncoming photon, you can change it (from your point of view) from a green photon to an ultraviolet photon, and even further, to an X-ray or gamma-ray photon.
 


ARAVIND113122 said:
i have tried to make the question as clear as possible,but in the process,have made it a bit too long. i request you to be patient-
suppose a source is emitting a photon after equal intervals of time.an observer,who was initially at rest w.r.t the source,starts to move away from it.this would increase the time interval after which the photon reaches the observer.this means that the frequency of photons reaching the observer decreases,i.e,the apparent wavelength of light increases.

now,energy of a photon is given by e=h√.
suppose the photons emitted by the source have frequency corresponding to that of blue light.when the observer starts to move away,the light,according to the observer,would seem to have shifted towards the red end of the spectrum .

am i right in saying that although the actual frequency of each individual photon[which gives it its energy] remains the same,the frequency PERCEIVED by the human eye decreases?to be more specific,i want to know if the human eye perceives colour based on the INTRINSIC frequency of a photon,or the frequency with which successive photons hit the eye.

There is no such thing as the INTRINSIC frequency of a photon. The energy of the photon is frame dependent. The energy of a photon and thus its frequency as measured by someone at rest with respect to the source will be different than that it would be for some one moving with respect to the source. Put another way, there is no measurable difference between a "red" photon emit by a source at rest with respect to you and a "red" photon that has undergone Doppler shift.
 


okay.consider a case when someone is conducting an experiment to measure current produced by photo-electric effect.the threshold frequency is that of "blue" photons.but the source is emitting "green" photons.then,is it true that if he moves the object at a minimum required speed towards the source,he would observe photoelectric effect??
 


ARAVIND113122 said:
okay.consider a case when someone is conducting an experiment to measure current produced by photo-electric effect.the threshold frequency is that of "blue" photons.but the source is emitting "green" photons.then,is it true that if he moves the object at a minimum required speed towards the source,he would observe photoelectric effect??

Absolutely. The Cosmic Microwave Background itself becomes lethal x-ray/gamma radiation if you accelerate to a high enough velocity.
 


There's nothing magical about photons. The energy of a photon depends on the observer's velocity. The energy of an automobile depends on the observer's velocity.
 


Thank you very much!
 

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