Re: How do photons travel in a straight line in air?

From: Oz (oz_at_farmeroz.port995.com)
Date: 07/23/04 

Date: 23 Jul 2004 06:34:50 -0400

Sylvester <junk@riddell.co.nz> writes

>And yes, I have already read Feynman, but some time ago,
>and I do not recall the explanation for my question (which I thought
>boiled down to why, when photons encounter electrons in air, as they
>must, they are not re-emitted in a random direction).

[Caution: I am an amateur]

Why must they be absorbed and re-emitted?
If they were, then air wouldn't be transparent.
That the em wave must shake the atom must be inevitable,
and then the atom would be (slightly) excited.

To see a plausible explanation of why this essentially results in no
effect (other than a slight delay) consider a laser. Basically the
(slightly) excited atom should reconstitute the EM wave by what amounts
to laser action.

Well, that seems a plausible explanation to me.

>And if anyone
>does feel inclined to post a substantive reply, please feel free to
>use any level of math required.

<shudder> 

-- 
Oz
This post is worth absolutely nothing and is probably fallacious.
BTOPENWORLD address about to cease.      DEMON address no longer in use.
>>Use oz@farmeroz.port995.com<<
ozacoohdb@despammed.com still functions.

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