Forces on massless particles

In summary, the only known massless particles are photons and neutrinos. While photons do feel gravity, their energy remains fixed once they are created. Other potential massless particles, such as gravitons and gluons, may also exist, but their properties and interactions are still being studied. Neutrinos, while thought to be massless, can still interact with other particles through the forces they carry.
  • #1
lark
163
0
do massless particles not feel forces - other than gravity? The only massless particles I know are photons and neutrinos. Photons feel gravity, but other than that, once a photon is created, is its energy fixed?

Laura
 
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  • #2
you only know one, its photon. graviton is thought to be massless since it travel (if exist) at the speed of light. neutrino is known to has mass. They don't feel force like we do but react with particles that is able to react with the force they are carrieng. Photon with electrons and protons and such
 
  • #3
Gluons are massless and feel the strong force.
 

1. What is a massless particle?

A massless particle is a hypothetical particle that has no rest mass. This means that it travels at the speed of light and has no internal structure or physical dimensions.

2. How do forces act on massless particles?

Since massless particles have no rest mass, they cannot interact with forces that require mass, such as gravitational forces. However, they can still be affected by other forces, such as electromagnetic forces or strong and weak nuclear forces.

3. Can massless particles have momentum?

Yes, even though they have no rest mass, massless particles can still have momentum. This is because momentum is defined as the product of mass and velocity, so even if the mass is zero, the particle can still have momentum if it is moving at the speed of light.

4. Do massless particles obey Newton's laws of motion?

Yes, massless particles still obey Newton's laws of motion. However, since they have no mass, the equations may look different or may not apply in certain situations. For example, for a massless particle, the equation F=ma would become F=0, since the mass is zero.

5. What are some examples of massless particles?

The most well-known example of a massless particle is the photon, which is the particle of light. Other examples include gluons, gravitons, and some theoretical particles such as the Higgs boson. These particles are all fundamental particles that have no rest mass.

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