Solar Sail/ Mirror Redshift & Blueshift

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on calculating the redshift and blueshift of a photon reflecting off a moving mirror. The user references the equations E=pc and kinetic energy as 2p/M, questioning the relationship between the mirror's velocity and the resulting shift. It is established that the Doppler effect governs the redshift and blueshift, confirming that the mirror's velocity does indeed influence the observed shift. The conclusion is that the Doppler shift is the key concept in understanding the relationship between mirror motion and photon frequency changes.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of the Doppler effect in physics
  • Familiarity with the concepts of momentum and energy transfer
  • Basic knowledge of photon behavior and light properties
  • Awareness of relativistic effects on light
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the principles of the Doppler effect in more detail
  • Explore the relationship between momentum and energy in relativistic contexts
  • Investigate how mirror velocity affects photon frequency shifts
  • Learn about the implications of redshift and blueshift in astrophysics
USEFUL FOR

Physicists, astronomy enthusiasts, and students studying wave mechanics or the behavior of light in motion will benefit from this discussion.

God Plays Dice
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Hi all,

I was hoping you could help me out with this one.

Im trying to calculate the redshift or blueshift of a photon that strikes a mirror and reflects.

I know E=pc, and that 2p is the momentum transfer. I also know that kinetic energy is 2p/M (of the mirror).
However, this says that red/blushift isn't dependent on mirror velocity. Surely that's not right?!? If the mirror is moving faster towards the oncoming light, surely the blueshift is greater.

Please clarify
 
Science news on Phys.org
I got it, it's Doppler shift. Never mind
 

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