Do Photons Conserve Angular Momentum?

AI Thread Summary
Photons do obey the conservation law of angular momentum, particularly in processes that do not involve external forces. While there is no conservation law applicable to single particles, interactions involving photons in physical systems maintain angular momentum conservation. Photons exhibit circular polarization, or helicity, which allows them to conserve angular momentum with changes of Δl = ±1. Examples of processes involving photons include refraction and wave interference. Overall, the conservation of angular momentum is upheld in photon-related interactions.
Ontophobe
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Do photons obey the conservation law of angular momentum?
 
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There is no conservation law for single particles.
Processes with photons (and, in fact, all processes without external forces[/size]) conserve angular momentum.
 
Thank you for the straight forward answer. What would constitute a process of photons?
 
Every physical system where photons are involved.

Edit: Fixed weird typo
 
Last edited:
refraction for example, wave interference also.
 
Ontophobe said:
Do photons obey the conservation law of angular momentum?
Photons are circularly polarized ('helicity') to conserve angular momentum (Δl = ±1)
 

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