Abstract
The equilibrium properties of a photon gas are derived. Emission of photons by black bodies, by accelerating charges and by vibrating electrical dipoles are also obtained. The scattering cross-section and the corresponding mean free path of photons as they propagate through a medium are calculated. Important quantities for the response of condensed matter to photons, such as permittivity and conductivity, are defined and determined. To obtain these results we make extensive use of the method of dimensional analysis.
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Note that the neutrinos transform from one family to another as time goes on (e.g. a \(\nu_{e}\) neutrino may change to a \(\nu_{\mu }\)). However, this change does not happen on a Feynman diagram vertex.
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© 2016 Springer international Publishing Switzerland
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Economou, E.N. (2016). Photons: Messengers and Connectors. In: From Quarks to the Universe. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20654-7_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20654-7_6
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Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-20653-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-20654-7
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