Photons Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Photon?
A photon is a fundamental particle of electromagnetic radiation, travelling at the speed of light. It is a quantum or discrete energy packet of the electromagnetic field.
What determines energy of a Photon?
Energy of a photon is directly proportional to its frequency, as described by Planck’s equation (E = ℎν).
Can Photons Transfer Momentum?
Photons carry momentum (p = h/λ) and can transfer it to other objects through interactions.
Are photons electrons?
No, photons are not electrons. Photon are elementary particle that acts as a carrier of energy, while an electron is a subatomic particle that are responsible for electric property of any material.
Are photons massless?
Rest mass of Photon is zero but as photon is a matter its mass can not be absolute zero. Mass of photon is wave length dependent.
How does a photon travel?
Photons in vacuum, travel at the speed of light.
Photon
Photon is a fundamental particle of electromagnetic radiation. It is a quantum of light and other electromagnetic waves. It is the force carrier of the electromagnetic force. Photons can display wave-like behaviors such as interference and diffraction. They can also exhibit particle-like behaviors such as the photoelectric effect. This is known as wave-particle duality.
Photons carry momentum and travel at the speed of light. Photons are produced through processes such as electron transitions in atoms, particle interactions, and particle-antiparticle annihilation. In the photoelectric effect, photons transfer their energy to electrons in a material, leading to the emission of photoelectrons.
Table of Content
- What are Photons?
- How are Photon Produced?
- Difference between Photon and Electron
- Properties of Photon
- Wave-Particle Duality
- Photoelectric Effect