This article is about the elementary particle or quantum of light. For other uses, see Photon (disambiguation).

The photon is a type of elementary particle. It is the quantum of the electromagnetic field including
electromagnetic radiation such as light and radio waves, and the force carrier for the electromagnetic force
(even when static via virtual particles). The invariant mass of the photon is zero; it always moves at the speed
of light in a vacuum.

Photon

Photons are emitted in a threaded laser beam

Composition Elementary particle

Statistics Bose–Einstein

Interactions Electromagnetic, Weak, Gravity

Symbol γ

Theorized Albert Einstein (1905)

The name of "photon" is generally attributed to Gilbert
N. Lewis (1926)

Mass 0
< 1 × 10−18 eV/c2 [1]

Mean lifetime Stable[1]

Electric charge 0
< 1 × 10−35 e[1]

Spin 1

Parity −1[1]

C parity −1[1]

Condensed I(JP C)=0,1(1−−)[1]

Like all elementary particles, photons are currently best explained by quantum mechanics and exhibit wave–
particle duality, exhibiting properties of both waves and particles. For example, a single photon may be
refracted by a lens and exhibit wave interference with itself, and it can behave as a particle with definite and
finite measurable position or momentum, though not both at the same time as per Heisenberg's uncertainty
principle. The photon's wave and quantum qualities are two observable aspects of a single phenomenon—
they cannot be described by any mechanical model;[2] a representation of this dual property of light that
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assumes certain points on the wavefront to be the seat of the energy is not possible. The quanta in a light
wave are not spatially localized.

The modern concept of the photon was developed gradually by Albert Einstein in the early 20th century to
explain experimental observations that did not fit the classical wave model of light. The benefit of the
photon model is that it accounts for the frequency dependence of light's energy, and explains the ability of
matter and electromagnetic radiation to be in thermal equilibrium. The photon model accounts for
anomalous observations, including the properties of black-body radiation, that others (notably Max Planck)
had tried to explain using semiclassical models. In that model, light is described by Maxwell's equations, but
material objects emit and absorb light in quantized amounts (i.e., they change energy only by certain
particular discrete amounts). Although these semiclassical models contributed to the development of
quantum mechanics, many further experiments[3][4] beginning with the phenomenon of Compton scattering
of single photons by electrons, validated Einstein's hypothesis that light itself is quantized.[5] In December
1926, American physical chemist Gilbert N. Lewis coined the widely adopted name "photon" for these
particles in a letter to Nature.[6][7][8] After Arthur H. Compton won the Nobel Prize in 1927 for his scattering
studies,[9] most scientists accepted that light quanta have an independent existence, and the term "photon"
was accepted.

In the Standard Model of particle physics, photons and other elementary particles are described as a
necessary consequence of physical laws having a certain symmetry at every point in spacetime. The intrinsic
properties of particles, such as charge, mass, and spin, are determined by this gauge symmetry. The photon
concept has led to momentous advances in experimental and theoretical physics, including lasers, Bose–
Einstein condensation, quantum field theory, and the probabilistic interpretation of quantum mechanics. It
has been applied to photochemistry, high-resolution microscopy, and measurements of molecular distances.
Recently, photons have been studied as elements of quantum computers, and for applications in optical
imaging and optical communication such as quantum cryptography.

Nomenclature

Physical properties

Historical development

Einstein's light quantum

Early objections

Wave–particle duality and uncertainty principles

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Bose–Einstein model of a photon gas

Stimulated and spontaneous emission

Second quantization and high energy photon interactions

The hadronic properties of the photon

The photon as a gauge boson

Contributions to the mass of a system

Photons in matter

Technological applications

Recent research

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links

Last edited on 23 September 2019, at 17:43

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