Peter wrote:
If the photon creates a shock wave in the aether then it must be imparting
some energy into the aether and the photon should slow down over time.

Photons cannot slow down but you could be right about
them losing energy over time. Lengthening the wavelength
of a photon is certainly a loss of energy. That could
explain the red-shift of light from distant galaxies.

"Optics", by Hecht, 4th edition, Page 52:
"Photons are stable, chargeless, massless elementary
particles that *exist only at the speed of light*."
--
73, Cecil http://www.w5dxp.com