We know that EM waves are slowed down in a dielectric. But at what speed does th

Question

We know that EM waves are slowed down in a dielectric. But at what speed does the photons that make up the wave travel?

Do they always travel at the speed c, but colliding/being absorbed and re-emitted by the molecules in the medium causes the photons' average speed to be reduced?

Or does the electromagnetic field created by the polarization in the material somehow affects the photons at a quantum level to give them mass? If they do acquire mass, would the formulae E=?? and E=?mc2 work?

I suppose it's not absurd that an electromagnetic field gives a particle a mass

Explanation / Answer

I imagine that one of my students asks me this very interesting question. This is how I would try to explain it to her/him, without the use of complex mathematics and concepts involving

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