Re: ATM intersecting light

["Bob May" <bobmay@nethere.com>]

Actually, in the path of the two light beams, the light does indeed
interact.  You have several problems tho in seeing this interaction directly
becuse of the fact you are trying to look at energy on a very small
dimension and scale.  I will note that there is a method of making gratings
which is an optical one where two beams interact and the film is placed in
the middle of that interaction.
The thing here is that the end result of the interactions is that the beam
continues to propagate and when it gets out the other side of the
interference pattern, it resumes its previous appearance as if the
interference didn't happen.
If you go to a good science museum, you will see the pair of parabolic
reflectors set across the room.  Sit at one point and the other person at
the other point can hear anything you say.  A kid in the middle of the beam
won't be hearing anything hardly at all and his input to the beam is that of
the reflector beaming the sounds back to the point (out of focus, etc.) and
the direct sound from him.  If you went the next step and did another
parabolic pair crosswise and did some sound with that pair, the first pair
of reflectors wouldn't hear anything from the interaction of the two beams.
Bob May
http://nav.to/bobmay
bobmay@nethere.com
NEW! http://bobmay.astronomy.net