Question

Why em waves cannot be deflected by a suitable magnetic or an electric field?

My doubt is, something made of oscillating magnetic and electric field cannot be deflected by an external field why so?

Answer 1

Hmm is bending what you mean by deflection?

Answer 2

yea yea..

Answer 3

actually bending is possible or at least in my knowledge, do you remember the J.J Thompson experiment? the electron discharge tube one in which he placed two magnets by the tube causing the ray to bend. I am not so sure lemme check my book.

Answer 4

that was the ray of electrons not em waves!

Answer 5

and no light is not bended by any external electric or magnetic fields at all!! :-/.. i just can't find a simple explanation!

Answer 6

oh yeah sorry

Answer 7

but hmm what if i have a magnet with me and i expose it to an em wave, wouldn't the magnetic field of the magnet cause change in the magnetic field of em wave which further would cause change in electric field.

Answer 8

NOO>. nothing of that sort happens.. if that were true, you would be able to deflect light, visible light via magnetic and electric fields..!! but that doesn't happen.. not one bit!

Answer 9

see its an interesting question.. until james would come and explain us :D!!

Answer 10

and what about refraction, why do you think light bends in denser medium i think maybe because atoms are closely packed together and when light has to go through them it gets effected due to their electromagnetic field... maybe not sure

Answer 11

no no.. bending of light is PUUREEELLLYYYY due to the fact that the velocity of the light slows down!..

Answer 12

strange none of my ideas work

Answer 13

but this stuff is interesting

Answer 14

dude you are in second puc, when i was in second puc, i didn't EVEN THINK ABOUT THESE STUFFFFF, you are like WAY WAY WAY ahead of me when i was your age!!

Answer 15

it's in the course this is why i know about it

Answer 16

i mean not this but a little explanation about it

Answer 17

even i had it in my course.. and i never gave a thought to it :P

Answer 18

thanks, you like physics which counts more and being passionate about it earns you bonus points you will definitely do good if you get in physics

Answer 19

ok this is what i got from some site "There is no first order interaction between light and an electric or
magnetic field IN VACUUM until you achieve such intense fields that
the vacuum decays (a nucleus with Z=1/(α) or a magnetic field
about 100X as powerful as a magnetar). Also consider the Sharnhorst
effect.".. so i guess what that means is we cannot create strong enough fields to deflect them may be! :-/

Answer 20

oh hmm maybe

so what happens in processes like polarization if polarization can reduce light's intensity can't something like that help in bending of light?