Hey all I've been thinking lately, why does light actually refract. When I've asked this I get answers like "because the refractive indecies are different" or "because light travels slower through differnet mediums" but this does not answer my question.
What I was wondering was what properties of light and the molecules of the medium cause light to bend as it 'passes through'. Does 'c' actually decrease in medium just because there is more molecules??? The spaces between molecules is, in essence, a vacuum (neglecting virtual particles) so the speed of light shouldn't change just because density increases!! DOES NOT COMPUTE.
Is there some quantum effect that compensates for this?
Much appreciated,
Casey
PS. I also realise this may be a common topic of discussion on this board so sorry if i'm repeating the question