Gravity's effect on electromagnetic field

AI Thread Summary
Gravity affects light by bending its path due to the distortion of space-time caused by massive objects, rather than solely through the mass of charged particles. Electromagnetic fields can exist in a vacuum, independent of charged particles or currents, as demonstrated by solutions to Maxwell's equations. The lowest energy state in quantum mechanics indicates that electromagnetic fields can exist even without charges. Light is indeed an electromagnetic wave, but the relationship between light and gravity is better explained through general relativity rather than classical electrodynamics. The discussion emphasizes the importance of understanding both classical and quantum perspectives on electromagnetic fields and their behavior in a vacuum.
alv799
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Gravity bends light because all charged particles have mass and all electric field starts and ends on some charge particle. Is that a viable explanation for this phenomenon?
 
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alv799 said:
all electric field starts and ends on some charge particle
Not all electric field lines start or end. That is one of the surprising results of the vacuum solutions, such as plane waves.
 
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Can electric field exist if there are no charged particles?
 
alv799 said:
Can electric field exist if there are no charged particles?
Yes, that is what a vacuum solution is. It is an electromagnetic field that exists in the absence of any charges or currents.
 
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Hello

I do not understand.
How can we have an electromagnetic field without any charge or current.

Dylan
 
Dylanden said:
How can we have an electromagnetic field without any charge or current.
Well, lowest energy state is not zero (it's positive value). So we have some fields in that state - QM says its electromagnetic fields.
And on the other hand, Einstein said that there is no space without light. Isn't light electromagnetic wave?
 
Dylanden said:
How can we have an electromagnetic field without any charge or current.
That's what light is: electrical and magnetic fields propagating through a vacuum. To see how this can be, you'll have to look at some of the solutions of Maxwell's equations which describe the behavior of electromagnetic fields in the most general case.
 
MarekKuzmicki said:
Well, lowest energy state is not zero (it's positive value). So we have some fields in that state - QM says its electromagnetic fields.
The non-zero ground state energy that appears in quantum mechanics doesn't work that way, and it does not imply the existence of a non-zero electromagnetic field. Fortunately, none of this has anything to do with OP's question - classical electrodynamics and Maxwell's equations are sufficient to explain electromagnetic fields in a vacuum.
And on the other hand, Einstein said that there is no space without light. Isn't light electromagnetic wave?
Light is indeed a propagating electromagnetic wave, but do you have a reference to support the claim about Einstein?
 
alv799 said:
Gravity bends light because all charged particles have mass and all electric field starts and ends on some charge particle. Is that a viable explanation for this phenomenon?
I think it's better to say that light goes in the straight lines in space-time as it is distorted by a massive object. The distortion of space-time is a consequence of general relativity.(see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravi...tion_in_terms_of_space.E2.80.93time_curvature )
 
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Several very low quality posts were distracting from the thread and have been removed
 
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