Does light itself experience time dilation?
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In special relativity, time dilation is determined by the Lorentz factor $$\gamma=\frac{1}{\sqrt{1-v^2/c^2}}$$ Say the photon travels some time $T$ in our frame of reference. It is obviously travelling at the speed of light. We see that the Lorentz factor diverges as we go to the speed of light. Thus, in order for the photon's time in our frame to remain finite, its proper time must tend to zero. This is the colloquial "time stops at the speed of light."
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Author by
Chin Huan
Updated on August 01, 2022Comments
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Chin Huan 10 months
This seems weird for me. Every time I see light, I will think, "Hey, that light travels from the past far away from us!"
Correct me if there is misconception.
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Ryan Unger over 8 yearsPlease explain exactly what you think light experiencing time dilation entails. -
Chin Huan over 8 yearsBased on the special relativity, time is not constant. The faster we go the more time slows down. The photon travels at the speed of c. So, is the time of the photon slowed down or stopped?
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Hritik Narayan over 8 yearsI don't think light can "experience" time at all. -
Paul over 8 yearsIf you could attach a clock to a photon ,''somehow'',then the clock will show no reading,thats what mean by ''time stops at the speed of light''.
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