Two mirrors facing each other

Question

I have a question that I would like answered.

What happens when you place two mirrors facing each other? Is it possible to have an infinite amount of reflections?

Answer 1

This question reminds me of Zeno's paradoxes.

It is assumed that the two mirror surfaces are absolutely parallel.

In classical physics the electromagnetic waves that create the reflections are instantaneous and the energy loss due to the reflection ( depending on the material of the glass) will be what will make the reflections fainter and fainter , but the process is continuous and the limit will be a limit in luminosity. In principle a totally reflecting material would have no limit.

Reality is quantum mechanical and special relativity dependent.

With special relativity in the problem it will take time to reach the next reflection, so even for a total reflector infinity will not be reached, during observation, though there will be an enormous number of reflections.

Quantum mechanically there can not be a totally reflecting mirror, even in a thought problem. There will always be a probability of absorption and thus a termination of the wavefront eventually, the images getting less and less defined until they stop.

Since quantum mechanics reigns, in realiy no, there will not be an infinite amount of reflections.