Electromagnetic waves decrease in speed when propagating through a medium. The commonly accepted microscopic explanation is that photons are absorbed by electrons and then re-emitted, resulting in a decrease in the speed of light. However, my question is, if the electromagnetic wave intensity is extremely low, meaning that within a finite interaction time, such a low-intensity electromagnetic wave cannot even excite a single photon, would the electromagnetic wave still be affected by electrons (medium), leading to a decrease in the speed of light?
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