If I could trap a photon in a box, what would happen to it?
by 
keithold thanks all baggers
ANSWERS: 4
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I don't know much about physics besides the basics, but a photon is a particle of light, correct? What happens if you shine a flashlight into a box? What would happen if you turned on a flashlight and put it into a box and closed the box? Light reflects off of some surfaces and is absorbed (or partially absorbed) by others. That's as much as I can tell you.
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If the box was made of absolutely perfect mirrors, it would keep reflecting back and forth forever at the speed of light. If it was made of anything else, it would be absorbed and re-emitted in any direction, most probably not into the box, and sooner or later it would be outside the box.
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I think the Uncertainty Principle would apply, and the photon would shift between reflecting off the walls, or being absorbed by the walls. Of course, a photon isn't a distinct particle, as it has more wave properties than most other particles, so it would be fun to try and observe.
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It would disperse into oblivion.
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