Is it possible to attract light

According to special relativity, a photon can never be at rest. Something that might be thought of as a 'trap' for a photon is an optical cavity. Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. Is there anything that could attract and trap a photon? Ask Question. Asked 6 years, 9 months ago. Active 4 years, 9 months ago.

Viewed 4k times. Improve this question. Vandetta Jack Vandetta Jack 41 1 1 silver badge 2 2 bronze badges. Add a comment. Light is made of particles called photons, bundles of the electromagnetic field that carry a specific amount of energy. With sufficiently sensitive experiments, you can count photons or even perform measurements on a single one. Researchers have even frozen light temporarily. The photon model was one of the first triumphs of quantum physics; later work showed that electrons and other particles of matter also have wave-like properties.

However, the short wavelengths of X-rays and ultraviolet light are suited to showing such small structure. With methods to see these high-energy types of light, scientists get a glimpse of the atomic world. Photons carry the electromagnetic force, one of the four fundamental forces along with the weak force, the strong force, and gravity.

As an electron moves through space, other charged particles feel it thanks to electrical attraction or repulsion. Because the effect is limited by the speed of light, other particles actually react to where the electron was rather than where it actually is. Quantum physics explains this by describing empty space as a seething soup of virtual particles.

Electrons kick up virtual photons, which travel at the speed of light and hit other particles, exchanging energy and momentum. Unlike matter, all sorts of things can make or destroy photons. An electron moving in a strong magnetic field will generate photons just from its acceleration. Similarly, when a photon of the right wavelength strikes an atom, it disappears and imparts all its energy to kicking the electron into a new energy level. This article was written by a professional writer, copy edited and fact checked through a multi-point auditing system, in efforts to ensure our readers only receive the best information.

To submit your questions or ideas, or to simply learn more, see our about us page: link below. By Contributor. Inventor of the Nail Gun. Difference Between and Welding Rods. How to Make a Bedini Motor. How to Build an Electromagnet. How to Test UV Bulbs. What Is a Ferrite Clamp? How to Create Electrical Interference.

How to Make a Lightning Bolt in a Bottle. How to Make an Electric Fan.