Does the bending of light by gravity imply that photons have mass?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Allojubrious
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Massless Photon
Allojubrious
Messages
61
Reaction score
0
Because light bends due to gravity, as can be seen in Gravitational Lensing, if gravity responds to mass and light is bent by gravity, does that not imply that the photon is NOT 100% massless?? That the photon indeed has a very tiny amount of mass?? Because if light bends due to gravity, then light must have a some mass right?? If one could explain this phenomenon, that would be great!

Thanks,
Al
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Allojubrious said:
Because light bends due to gravity, as can be seen in Gravitational Lensing, if gravity responds to mass and light is bent by gravity, does that not imply that the photon is NOT 100% massless?? That the photon indeed has a very tiny amount of mass?? Because if light bends due to gravity, then light must have a some mass right?? If one could explain this phenomenon, that would be great!

Thanks,
Al

Photons are NOT "bent" in the way you seem to think. Photons follow a spacetime "straight line" (aka "geodesic").
 
No. In general relativity, the strength of gravity is determined not by mass, but energy-momentum. So, light interacts gravitationally even though it has zero mass.
 
Oh ok yeah that makes sense, well thank you!

Thanks,
Al
 

Thread 'A sufficient condition for integrability of equation ##\nabla g=0##'

In Philippe G. Ciarlet's book 'An introduction to differential geometry', He gives the integrability conditions of the differential equations like this: $$ \partial_{i} F_{lj}=L^p_{ij} F_{lp},\,\,\,F_{ij}(x_0)=F^0_{ij}. $$ The integrability conditions for the existence of a global solution ##F_{lj}## is: $$ R^i_{jkl}\equiv\partial_k L^i_{jl}-\partial_l L^i_{jk}+L^h_{jl} L^i_{hk}-L^h_{jk} L^i_{hl}=0 $$ Then from the equation: $$\nabla_b e_a= \Gamma^c_{ab} e_c$$ Using cartesian basis ## e_I...
View full post »

Thread 'Hawking After 54 Years Confirmed: BH surfaces don't shrink'

Abstract The gravitational-wave signal GW250114 was observed by the two LIGO detectors with a network matched-filter signal-to-noise ratio of 80. The signal was emitted by the coalescence of two black holes with near-equal masses ## m_1=33.6_{-0.8}^{+1.2} M_{⊙} ## and ## m_2=32.2_{-1. 3}^{+0.8} M_{⊙}##, and small spins ##\chi_{1,2}\leq 0.26 ## (90% credibility) and negligible eccentricity ##e⁢\leq 0.03.## Postmerger data excluding the peak region are consistent with the dominant quadrupolar...
View full post »

Thread 'Relativator (Circular Slide-Rule): Simulated with Desmos - Insight'

Insights auto threads is broken atm, so I'm manually creating these for new Insight articles. The Relativator was sold by (as printed) Atomic Laboratories, Inc. 3086 Claremont Ave, Berkeley 5, California , which seems to be a division of Cenco Instruments (Central Scientific Company)... Source: https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/relativator-circular-slide-rule-simulated-with-desmos/ by @robphy
View full post »

Similar threads

B Does Spacetime Have Physical Existence?
2
Replies
58
Views
3K
I Does gravity bend gravitational waves?
Replies
14
Views
1K
B High Frequency Photons: More Mass, More Bend?
Replies
10
Views
2K
B Spacetime curvature due to acceleration causing gravity?
Replies
41
Views
5K
I Bending of light - caused by gravity or relativity?
Replies
10
Views
2K
I Speed of light around a (massive) object in space ...(i.e.sun
Replies
6
Views
2K
Bending of Light due to Gravity
2
Replies
73
Views
15K
B Photon Mass: Does Light Have Direction?
Replies
6
Views
1K
B What Causes Mass to Exert Gravitational Pull?
Replies
1
Views
2K
What curves space and bends light: Mass or Gravity?
Replies
22
Views
3K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top