I'm thinking that the reduction in speed should also reduce the photon's longevity, right ?

Um! Damned if I know :) "But some theories allow photons to have a small rest mass and one consequence of that would be that photons could then decay into lighter elementary particles. So if such a decay were possible, what are the limits on the lifetime of a photon? That is the question asked by a physicist in Germany, who has calculated the lower limit for the lifetime of the photon to be three years in the photon's frame of reference. This translates to about one billion billion (10^18) years in our frame of reference."

... who has calculated the lower limit for the lifetime of the photon to be three years in the photon's frame of reference

If the photon slows, then I'd expect that it's lifetime in its own frame of reference would remain unchanged.
But I'd expect a reduction in its lifetime in terms of *our* frame of reference.

Just an idle and non-profound piece of speculation. And it could well be incorrect, given the way that these physicists are forever making the workings of the universe increasingly complex ;-)

Cheers,
Rob

If the photon slows, then I'd expect that it's lifetime in its own frame of reference would remain unchanged. But I'd expect a reduction in its lifetime in terms of *our* frame of reference. Just an idle and non-profound piece of speculation. And it could well be incorrect, given the way that these physicists are forever making the workings of the universe increasingly complex ;-)

Okay. You asked for it. My profound exultations on the frame of reference of a photon.

Photons are the supermodels of the particle world; weigh (next to) nothing, rarely intereact with anyone but tend to cause heat when they do.

A dog forbid you should encounter a pair of them arm in arm; anything you tell one, the other will know instantly :)

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With the rise and rise of 'Social' network sites: 'Computers are making people easier to use everyday'

Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error.

"Science is about questioning the status quo. Questioning authority". The enemy of (IT) success is complexity.

In the absence of evidence, opinion is indistinguishable from prejudice. Suck that fhit