Understanding Scattering of Light in the Atmosphere

[hartlw]

When light is scattered by the atmosphere, is it scattered with equal speed in all directions relative to the atmosphere?

 

[Naty1]

yes. individual photons will continue to move at velocity "c"...and the light will propagate uniformely if you assume the atmosphere itself is uniform...likely it will vary in pracice due to differences in atmospheric humidity and other non uniformities...

The important processes in the atmosphere (Rayleigh scattering and Mie scattering) are elastic. No energy transformation results, only a change in the spatial distribution of the radiation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffuse_sky_radiation

 

[hartlw]

Naty1

Thank you.

 

[hartlw]

If light is scattered by the atmosphere with equal speeds in all directions relative to the atmosphere, isn't this all that MM is confirming?

 

[russ_watters]

Well, I guess you could say that, yes, the MM experiment confirms that light traveling in different directions always goes the same speed.

 

[hartlw]

Well, I guess you could say that, yes, the MM experiment confirms that light traveling in different directions always goes the same speed.

Would it be legitimate to add "with respect to the media from which it was scattered?" (MM was not in a vacuum).