Light released within a sphere with a perfectly opaque inner surface

  • Context: Graduate 
  • Thread starter Thread starter antwan89
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Light Sphere Surface
Join the discussion
Registration is free. Ask a follow-up in this thread, or start your own.
Sign up Log in
4 replies · 2K views
antwan89
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
I have a question that has been puzzling me. If a beam of light was released within a sphere or cube with a completely opaque inner surface would the inner area remain bright for a prolonged period of time or perhaps indefinitely assuming a vacuum exists within the sphere?

Perhaps a perfectly opaque surface does not exist? Perhaps a mirror made from a superconductor would be a more effective inner surface assuming the mirror isn't already the most opaque surface available, although I understand there heat losses occur when light is reflected off a mirrored surface.
 

Discussion

Physics news on Phys.org
Opaque (=not transparent) is not enough, a black sheet of paper is opaque as well. If the surface is a perfect mirror, then sure, the light would stay in.

Superconductors are extremely close to perfect mirrors - with microwaves, you can "trap" light for ~100 milliseconds with them (source), and the radio-frequency cavities used for particle accelerators achieve similar Q-factors as well.
 
than you mfb, but isn't opaque also defined as "Impenetrable by light; neither transparent nor translucent." A sheet of black paper is translucent is it not? To the human eye it will block out most of the light, but some will escape.

If a truly Opaque material was used, surely no light could escape the sphere and it would remain permanently bright?
 
antwan89 said:
A sheet of black paper is translucent is it not?
That's not the important point (add multiple layers if you like). A black surface does not reflect light, even if the material behind it does not allow any light to pass.

If a truly Opaque material was used, surely no light could escape the sphere and it would remain permanently bright?
The light can get absorbed.