Bending Light and Photon Mass

Most recent answer: 02/15/2016

Q:
Does the gravitational bending of light , eg. because of a black hole, constitute contrary evidence to photons being considered massless?
- Alasdair Thomson (age 82)
Beaconsfield, Buckinghsmshire. U.K.
A:

No, on the contrary the bending fits perfectly with the picture of photons without any rest mass. They do, however, have inertial and gravitational mass, as we've discussed extensively. See https://van.physics.illinois.edu/qa/listing.php?id=16351.

Mike W.


(published on 02/15/2016)