Does light interact with electric fields ?

[jaisonmorgan]

We know that light is an electromagnetic wave and it does interact with charges. It contains magnetic field and electric field oscillating perpendicularly but when we apply an electric or magnetic field in any direction to the wave the applied electric field or magnetic field vector doesn't alter the magnetic or electric field in the electro magnetic wave (according to vector addition rule)....why?

I essentially want to know if its possible to "hold" light in a 3 demensional view, that has also a ceilling to stop the light from projecting it further (what maybe will be achieved by destroying it on a particular point)

Hope i explained and gave a detailed question because i can't find any answer to get from in my college books. And the internet failed me a couple times on this subject

[studiot]

Quote

Does light interact with electric fields ?

Good morning Jaison and welcome to ScienceForums.

Yes electric fields can affect the polarisation of light.

 

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.31301!/file/Lecture18-Polarisation-of-light_introduction.pdf

 

It is the electric field component of the light that is affected by the electric field in polarising media.

 

 

1 hour ago, jaisonmorgan said:

I essentially want to know if its possible to "hold" light in a 3 demensional view, that has also a ceilling to stop the light from projecting it further (what maybe will be achieved by destroying it on a particular point)

Hope i explained and gave a detailed question because i can't find any answer to get from in my college books. And the internet failed me a couple times on this subject

I didn't quite understand your first line can you rephrase it?

Finding stuff in the net often boils down to asking the right questions or finding and using the right words.

 

[swansont]

1 hour ago, studiot said:

Good morning Jaison and welcome to ScienceForums.

Yes electric fields can affect the polarisation of light.

 

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.31301!/file/Lecture18-Polarisation-of-light_introduction.pdf

 

It is the electric field component of the light that is affected by the electric field in polarising media.

In polarizing media is a key phrase here. This does not happen in free space — it requires interaction with a medium. Similarly, you can get Faraday rotation of the polarization with a magnetic field, but only in a medium.

So I would say the answer is no, light does not interact with electric fields. It does interact with various media, and there are certain effects when there is an electric field is present.

 

2 hours ago, jaisonmorgan said:

I essentially want to know if its possible to "hold" light in a 3 demensional view, that has also a ceilling to stop the light from projecting it further (what maybe will be achieved by destroying it on a particular point)

Hope i explained and gave a detailed question because i can't find any answer to get from in my college books. And the internet failed me a couple times on this subject

You can "hold" light by having it interact with a medium. That will slow it down or absorb it, but there are ways to recreate it with the exact same properties. It's not going to happen in free space.

[Orodruin]

On 10/19/2018 at 12:35 PM, swansont said:

So I would say the answer is no, light does not interact with electric fields.

This is true classically. The underlying reason for this being the linearity of Maxwell's equations, which allow superposition of electromagnetic fields. Once electrodynamics is quantised along with the introduction of some charged fields, you get light-by-light scattering at the one-loop level - as observed last year by ATLAS. However, this effect is really tiny.

On 10/19/2018 at 9:43 AM, jaisonmorgan said:

We know that light is an electromagnetic wave and it does interact with charges. It contains magnetic field and electric field oscillating perpendicularly but when we apply an electric or magnetic field in any direction to the wave the applied electric field or magnetic field vector doesn't alter the magnetic or electric field in the electro magnetic wave (according to vector addition rule)....why?

Ultimately because the electromagnetic field does not carry electric charge and the source for the electromagnetic field is electric charge and current.

[jaisonmorgan]

On 10/19/2018 at 3:26 AM, studiot said:

Good morning Jaison and welcome to ScienceForums.

Yes electric fields can affect the polarisation of light.

 

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.31301!/file/Lecture18-Polarisation-of-light_introduction.pdf

 

It is the electric field component of the light that is affected by the electric field in polarising media 

I didn't quite understand your first line can you rephrase it?

Finding stuff in the net often boils down to asking the right questions or finding and using the right words  

 

i understand thankyou so much for helping me out sir! 

Edited October 21, 2018 by Phi for All
Dodgy links removed