Is there a limit to how much energy can be stored in a photon?

[mikeph]

"zero kelvin electron" sounds a bit faulty

If there is no limit to the universal rate of expansion then I see no limit to the amount of cosmological red-shift endured by a photon, and so no limit on the wavelength of a photon. If the cosmic expansion continues, which looks fairly likely, surely an unattenuated photon will eventually have an arbitrarily long wavelength after enough time elapses.

 

[e.chaniotakis]

About the GZK cutoff, yes it exists (or so we believe) which prohibits us from observing protons more energetic than 6*10^19 eV (taken that the interaction length of the proton in the CMB is lower than the proton source- Earth distance). Of course, there might be a way for a (e.g)10^25eV proton to be created and its interactions to create high energy gammas before it is attenuated by the CMB.. Just speculating.
Or there might be some more exotic production channels for gammas that do not respect the GZK cutoff.. But these are all speculations (to be answered by Pierre Augere and IceCube hopefully).

About why gamma gamma interactions occure, check the so called "Delbruck scattering".
Now, about the low energy photons I have no better explanation than the one proposed by MikeyW

 

[OmCheeto]

There is not a limit.

Proof: Consider the following: suppose there were a maximum energy, E_max. You create a source of photons of energy E_max. Now you start walking towards it, blueshifting them. Now their energy is greater than E_max.

I like Lurch's argument about the "Planck length".


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pppppppppppppps. Why is this in the "General Physics" section?
and yes, I did self sensor my "I'm smarter than Einstein and Feynman combined, to the 12th power!", 47 comments

 

[Pseudo Epsilon]

it was moved from general physics.

 

[Pseudo Epsilon]

it was moved from quantum physics.

 

[Pseudo Epsilon]

concerning blue and redshifting: if you travel at c parellel to light the magnetic component disapears. What happens concerning the magnetic part of em radiation if a tachyon is traveling parellel to it?0_0

 

[OmCheeto]

I like Lurch's argument about the "Planck length".


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pppppppppppppps. Why is this in the "General Physics" section?
and yes, I did self sensor my "I'm smarter than Einstein and Feynman combined, to the 12th power!", 47 comments

hmmm... Regarding V50's comment, the extractable energy of the universe, and the "Oh My God Particle" I studied this morning;

The particle was traveling very close to the speed of light — assuming the particle was a proton, its speed was only about 1.5 femtometers (quadrillionths of a meter) per second less than the speed of light, translating to a speed of approximately 0.9999999999999999999999951c.

Given that I have a mass of roughly 68 kilograms, and given the limited total extractable energy of the universe to accelerate "me", relative to the "OMG Particle", there is of course, a practical limit.

unsubscribe.

 

[Pseudo Epsilon]

concerning blue and redshifting: if you travel at c parellel to light the magnetic component disapears. What happens concerning the magnetic part of em radiation if a tachyon is traveling parellel to it?0_0

and what would happen?