Eli5 Can a very strong light pass though something apparently opaque?

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So I take a cloth, put a light source behind it. Some light can be seen on other side. I double the layer of cloth, even less light passes. I put a stronger light source, light passes. So if a put an extremely strong light source behind let’s say a concrete wall, would it be possible to see light on other side?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Depends on what you mean by strong, because different things will happen.

Light shines through cloth because it’s not a solid material. It is made of woven threads abd has many, many holes. So there’s plenty of space for light to shine through.

With a proper solid material, like concerete, there isn’t this space. There’s always an atom to get in the way.

Theoretically, it is possible for visible light to just pass through any object, nevermind how solid an opaque. That’s just quantum mechanics, but just because it’s non-zero doesn’t mean it’s likely. In practice, it would be basically undetectable, regardless of how much visible light you bombard it with. It’d just heat up the surface instead.

BUT, you can have “stronger” light in that it’s more energetic. Xrays and gamma can pass through concrete just fine.

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