DrW wrote:
Before providing any more detail (including the implications of the fact that a photon is a gauge boson, as well as the difference between phase velocity Vp, group velocity Vg, and the propagation velocity of the wave front), it seems only fair that you give us the answer to this same question - your question - by using equations or a physical explanation based on your special knowledge.
I was going to ignore this but I am waiting for it to warm up a bit before I will go outside to get some work done. I will explain what is going on in simple terms so hopefully Fence Sitter can see how this effect happens.
Let us start with a photon which is a mushy ball of magnetic and electrostatic radiation. We have all seen a magnetic field bend around when brought close to some metals or another magnet. Two or more fields interact with each other and pressure mediation results. Thus the view of a mushy photon. Now because a photon has a magnetic component it creates space as a result of that magnetic field. So a photon can never move outside of space because it makes it own as it travels. This is why a photon has a limited speed. It is limited to the rate of induction because it has space and space has electrical characteristics which slows down a magnetic field.
Now let us view a photon traveling through a vacuum and it enters a glass wall. Part of the mushy photon touches the wall first. Because the photon creates space it has some amount of dimensionality. The part that touches first will slow down because the rate of induction of the magnetic field in glass is slower. This is due to the electrical characteristics of the glass. This slowing down of just one part of the mushy photon pulls the photon at an angle. You can think of it as a torque. Then the whole photon enters the glass and goes in a straight line. The speed of the photon is slower than the speed of light. Now when the mushy photon gets to the other side of the glass the opposite happens. One part of the mushy ball leaves first. The rate of induction is different (back to the vacuum) so the speed returns to the speed of light. Now some of the photon is still in the glass so it bends again until all of the photon is out of the glass. The bending returns the photon to the original angle that the light had before going into the glass. Once the whole photon is out its speed returns to the speed of light in a vacuum.
It is all rather simple. I can easily teach this to small children. No need for magic unicorn particles with magic properties. No need for complex math or bending of space time. Again all of that is just puffed up jerks trying to appear smarter than others. It is pride that allows the lie of orthodox science to continue.
edit Made some errors calling photons protons, oops