In fact, we know with much certainty that electrons do not have shape at all. They exist only at a point. In fact, it could be quite possible that protons and neutrons only have a shape because they are made of three quarks that can't exist on top of one another. If we could only see a lone...
Think of the photon as a billiard ball hitting a bumper. The electrons in the atoms in the mirror scatter an electron just like the bumper scatters the ball. It doesn't know to go at the right angle, it is merely worked upon by the mirror - which recoils.
Just a few questions for anyone. I am trying to buffer photons for a long delay quantum eraser.
Is there anyway to convert one arm of a 4km LIGO interferometer into a high-fidelity photon buffer? If a beam is merely reflected once down the length of the tube, it is stored for ~13 µs with...