POV-Ray : Newsgroups : povray.general : POV Photons : Re: POV Photons Server Time
7 Aug 2024 13:22:44 EDT (-0400)
  Re: POV Photons  
From: Warp
Date: 19 Nov 2001 04:01:42
Message: <3bf8ca76@news.povray.org>
Ron Parker <ron### [at] povrayorg> wrote:
: In fact, since time does not exist for photons, they couldn't turn even
: if they "wanted" to.

  What happens when the photon "hits" a refractive object? Why does it "bend"
at the surface of the object? Why does it seem to go slower through the object?

  I have heard this explanation that the photon is "absorbed" and another
photon (apparently a different one) is emitted. However, I have never
understood this explanation. Even in very solid matter atoms and molecules are
extremely far apart from each other, which means that there's quite a lot of
space between them; how come every and each one of the incoming photons are
absorbed and none goes through the space between the atoms without never
colliding with them? And what causes the change in direction at the surface
of the object? What causes the change in direction inside the object if the
density of the object is not constant? Why does the photon _always_ change
its path to the exact same direction? How, for example, electrons can travel
in water faster than photons can (ie. why don't electrons collide in the same
way as photons; electrons are a lot bigger)?

-- 
#macro N(D,I)#if(I<6)cylinder{M()#local D[I]=div(D[I],104);M().5,2pigment{
rgb M()}}N(D,(D[I]>99?I:I+1))#end#end#macro M()<mod(D[I],13)-6,mod(div(D[I
],13),8)-3,10>#end blob{N(array[6]{11117333955,
7382340,3358,3900569407,970,4254934330},0)}//                     - Warp -


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