At the end of the 19th century, scientists attempted to discover the relation between the strength of electromagnetic radiation from objects and their wavelength. Every attempt to correlate the scientific knowledge of the time with observations failed to provide satisfactory results. The breakthrough occurred in December 1900, thanks to the physicist Max Planck.
Photon research in the past
On the 14th of December, 1900 Max Planck, during the course of a talk at a gathering at the Physical Society in Berlin, presented a theory that described the absorption and emission of electromagnetic radiation from black bodies. The physicist discovered a correlation between the results of his measurements and calculations that was not possible prior to. Planck believed that energy was released from a blackbody and then absorbed by it in the form of precise particles of energy or photons. Results of Planck’s study revealed that energy is discontinuous not the way previously believed. Planck’s research revolutionized future studies on electromagnetic radiation.
Photon – the basic definition
Photons are electromagnetic particles that emit radiation. They are generated within the sphere that is the solar system. The ones that travel to our planet in light waves aren’t made inside the sun, but are outside the sun. Without photons the life on Earth would not be possible. This is also true for the power generated from photovoltaic panel. A similar process occurs in photodiodes, whereby the energy stored in photons is converted to electricity. A basic photodiode definition allows one to fully understand this issue.
How does a photon form
The photons are created deep within the Sun’s center as part of the nuclear the fusion reaction. Hydrogen is transformed to helium and this results in the creation of substantial amounts of energy. Photons produced in the central region of the Sun are taken up by nearby atoms which then release the next particles. This is the way that this transfer of energy out of the Sun’s spherical shell to the surface. This process is referred to as”remission. The research of scientists suggests that it may last as long as several million years.
The photon-laden stream that carry energy is simultaneously an electromagnetic radiation that is called light. We know that life on Earth without light would not exist. Light is the reason in Earth for a variety of physical and biological reactions, including photosynthesis. Photons are an elementary particle that is part of the boson family. Photons do not have mass regardless, and serve as carriers for various interactions. Photons possess zero rest mass and have a spin value (s) of one. One of the most distinctive characteristics of photons is that they display the phenomenon of duality in corpuscular waves – which implies that they possess the characteristics of a particle as well as an electromagnetic wave simultaneously. The energy that light transmits is quantized. This means that light is carried in the form of quanta of energy, referred to by photons. The energy of a photon directly relates to its frequency. light.
Photons are absorbed by an atom
If photon absorption by an atom takes place it can trigger these phenomena:
- The removal of the atom or the molecule through the excited electron and the acceptance of it from the electron accepting the molecule (usually as an element that is photosynthesis),
- Nuclear photo effect, also known as photoelectric phenomenon phenomena that result from an emission of electrons off the surface of objects,
- Fluorescence is a phenomenon that involves an emission of light from an atom or molecule excited during the transition of an electron from its exuberant state back to its grounded state. A portion of the energy is released into waves of radiation that have greater wavelength than the absorbent light wave.
Photons – the most important patterns you should know
The formula for the energy of a single photon created in 1900 by Max Planck is as follows:
E = hv
Where:
v – frequency of the light wave
h – Planck’s constant (h=6.63-10-34J-s).
In turn, the frequency of a light wave is inversely proportional to its length. Here is the formula:
V = c/λ
Where:
λ – the wavelength of the light wave
c – the speed of light in a vacuum (c = 3*108 m/s).
