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ImpatientProf t1_j8hzdda wrote

Reply to comment by boxdude in Light traveling through a medium that slows it. Does the same photon emerge? by TheGandPTurtle

Accelerating the charges in the material requires absorbing some energy from the light. Emission from the charges (the radiation field) requires depositing some energy back into the light. This is consistent with the photon absorption and re-emission model. Sure, it's not individual photons being absorbed by individual charges, but it's still an exchange of energy and the light is still quantized.

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MasterPatricko t1_j8icx22 wrote

> Sure, it's not individual photons being absorbed by individual charges,

You are correct overall but dismissing this specific point as if most people understand it easily is pedagogically dangerous -- based on my teaching experience that's exactly what a lot of people who hear "photon absorption and emission" end up thinking of.

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back_seat_dog t1_j8itvdf wrote

Exactly. I think people forget that the way the other interpret what you say is very important. Even if you are 100% correct, your wording can lead others to think something that is completely wrong. People aren't robots absorbing all information as it is, they interpret and change that information to align with preconceived notions and to make it easy to digest, and this can lead to misunderstanding.

The explanation is also problematic because this "absorption and emission" happens instantaneously, it doesn't absorb some energy, wait for a while, and release the energy. The release isn't isotropic either.

At the end of the day, it might be technically correct to say it is an absorption and re-emission, but it does more harm than good and doesn't really help clarify what is happening.

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boxdude t1_j8i7en7 wrote

I work in optical engineering and am not an expert scientist in the nature of light. Our professional society SPIE held conferences (titled nature of light: what is a ohoton) over the last several years ( i believe there were 7 sessions over 7 years) where the experts argued out the nature of light and there is still disagreement amongst them on what a photon is and whether it exists.

Meanwhile, solving electromagnetic field components in the presence of optical components similar to Feynmans approach, whether it be a simple lens or photonic integrated circuits, well models actual behavior in all practical cases encountered with modern optical devices that I am aware of. I haven't seen any benefit to switching to a photon emission based model, especially when the experts cant even agree on the fundamental nature of the photon.

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