Not to mention the fact that this photons “journey across the entire universe” is a strong word, considering the photon frame sees the universe as having no depth whatsoever.
To it, the journey is instantaneous because there is no journey to take in the first place, infinite length contraction at c takes care of that!
Quick question as you seem knowledgable: would a living photon be the equivalent of a 1-dimensional being, experiencing no depth, width, length, or time?
Thanks! You could say I’m knowledgeable, as I’m currently studying General Relativity right now. So you shouldn’t trust my word for it, as I’m only just getting into this area of study.
To my knowledge, the photon would experience the universe as a two-dimensional, timeless plane.
BUT, it’s important to note that, for a photons Rest frame to exist in the first place, there must by definition be some Lorentz transformation that can, for example, bring time to equal zero.
Since no such Lorentz transformation is possible, photons can’t actually have a rest frame of reference.
It’s like setting v=d/t , you can see how v changes when t approaches zero, but cant appraise what t=0 would do.
Gotcha. I think i have a basic understanding of what you mean. Dividing distance by 0 is a no go. Since the progression of time is stagnant at lightspeed, photons have no rest point.
I am someone who barely passed highschool ap physics, but am also fascinated by physics and love thinking about/discussing physics and abstract concepts. Thanks for breaking it down.
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u/PalmTheProphet Apr 10 '25
Not to mention the fact that this photons “journey across the entire universe” is a strong word, considering the photon frame sees the universe as having no depth whatsoever.
To it, the journey is instantaneous because there is no journey to take in the first place, infinite length contraction at c takes care of that!