So I know that photons travel in waves, but is that like a straight up and down wave? Or is it more like a cork screw?
Why not just straight? I’m guessing the rudimentary answer has something to do with energy?
How do we know this?
In: 6
Normal light oscillates in all directions perpendicular to the direction of travel.
You can pass light through a polarizing filter, and ar that point, the light will only oscillate in the direction of the filter (up and down). Thata why if you have another filter perpendicular to the first, it becomes opaque.
If you look at a single photon, we can’t really talk about it as an oscillating wave, but it can carry angular momentum, which you cold thing of like a corkscrew motion of the wave.
Latest Answers