How can an electron in a conventional antenna absorb any energy from EM waves?
Each electron in an antenna is far too small to interact with longwave EM fields! Right, but the *fields* of electrons perform the interaction, and the physical diameter of the particle is not very important. The electron can be infinitely small as long as its fields occupy a significant region. Incoming EM waves “collide” with the fields of the electron rather than hitting the electron itself. If the electron’s fields are altered, they can drag the electron along. Antenna wires contain mobile electrons, but normally the fields of these electrons are cancelled by the fields of the protons. To be able to interact with EM waves, the electrons and protons must extend their fields outwards. To do so, they must be relatively moving and/or separated from each other. In other words, to intercept lots of EM energy, make sure your antenna creates a strong field of its own. But this implies that, even for conventional antennas, the antenna is not just a passive absorber. Instead it’s an active,
Each electron in an antenna is far too small to interact with longwave EM fields! It cannot act like a quarter-wave dipole! Right, but the *fields* of electrons perform the interaction, and the physical diameter of the particle is not very important for the photo-absorption process. The electron can be infinitely small as long as its fields occupy a significant region. It still casts a large EM shadow. Incoming EM waves “collide” with the fields of the electron rather than hitting the electron’s surface itself. If the electron’s fields are altered, they can drag the electron along. Antenna wires contain mobile electrons, but normally the fields of these electrons are cancelled by the fields of the protons. To be able to interact with EM waves, the electrons and protons must extend their fields outwards. To do so, they must be relatively moving and/or separated from each other. In other words, to intercept lots of EM energy, make sure your antenna doesn’t remain neutral, but instead cre
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