Think of a Mobius Strip. Could light simply be `packeted' like this and be considered as matter?

Question

Light in a standard quantum model ie. an `infinite well' could well be considered as a standard frequency which is resonating under its natural frequency within the well.

Good point poorcocob, if the light (or E.M. wave) is travelling in 4d space-time, then it might well be in the shape of a klein bottle. As for the equivalance of mass, it is well know that light bends around space time as mass does (i.e. graviatational lensing). This would then mean that a photon, with an equilvalance of mass would then be bending around space-time, just as mass does. If we can then think about going, or, snigger, leaping from quantum physics (yes, it's showing again on T.V.) to particle phsyics we can then introduce such particles as neutrinos for example, which have a negligible mass right up through leptons, mesons, quarks and then protons, neutrons etc. Would this then be a similar product of a resonant wave `trapped' within itself?

Answer 1

Your question reminds me about the associated wave of a particle - which is a theoretic wave. But light is an electromagnetic wave - which is a concrete one.
I think you tried to regard light as an associated, twisted wave; in other words you "approximated" one thing with a totally different other thing.

This makes me think your problem is ill-formed; a non-problem in other words. Since science can answer well-formed problems only, I guess no one can answer your question scientifically.

Answer 2

That's a neat idea. Have you ever seen a Klein bottle? It's a three-dimensional one sided figure like a Moebius strip.

The main problem as I see it, is the tendency of light to go in a straight line -- that makes it really hard to wrap into a self-reinforcing loop. Also, photons tend to pass through other photons without affecting one another, and that is quite different from our normal conception of "matter".

In principle the energy of a photon has an equivalent mass, but that mass is astoundingly small. It would be very easy to lose. :-)

Answer 3

Photons travel AT the speed of light (duhh) ... this is ONLY possible if they have EXACTLY ZERO mass ....

So no, Photons can not be considered as 'matter' ...

Any sort of 'packaging' is impossible anyway - since the entire Photon 'package' is known to travel at the speed of light, any sub-components moving 'within' the Photon package would have to be exceeding the speed of light ...

Answer 4

The problem is that it would still be massless, which kind of disqualifies it from being called matter.

Answer 5

I have not heard about this theory before. It would be interesting to read the answers from others...

I will add this question to my watchlist.

Good luck!