photon
Massless electromagnetic carrier
A photon is the smallest unit of light or other electromagnetic radiation—a quantum of energy that behaves as both a particle and a wave.
Photons have no mass and travel at the speed of light.
The term appears in physics, photography, and increasingly in everyday contexts: Solar panels convert photons into electricity.
Photons from distant stars take millions of years to reach us.
Integer-spin subatomic particle
- quantumSmallest discrete unit
- masslessHaving zero mass
- elementaryOf first principles
- subatomicSmaller than atoms
spin · momentum · gauge · relativistic · corpuscle · wave-particle · duality · packet
Involving electric and magnetic fields
- oscillationRepeated back-and-forth movement
- wavelengthSpatial repetition interval
- frequencyRate of recurrence
- amplitudeMaximum oscillation displacement
interference · diffraction · polarization · coherence · propagation · dispersion · refraction · transverse
Provision of light
- brightnessDegree of light emitted
- luminosityIntrinsic brightness of source
- radianceGlowing luminous quality
- beamStructural support member
ray · flash · glow · luminescence · fluorescence · incandescence · shimmer · sparkle
SI energy quantity
- PlanckQuantum theory's founder
- frequencyRate of recurrence
- wavelengthSpatial repetition interval
- infraredHeat-bearing electromagnetic waves
ultraviolet · gamma-ray · microwave · radio · spectral · monochromatic · high-energy · absorption
Conversion to discrete values
- superpositionCoexisting in multiple states
- entanglementState of being intertwined
- uncertaintyState of being unsure
- probabilityQuantified chance of occurrence
amplitude · wavefunction · measurement · collapse · observer · complementarity · Copenhagen · decoherence
Light-sensing tissue layer
- photoreceptorCell responding to light
- rodThin rigid stick
- coneTapered solid, circular base
- visualOf or concerning sight
perception · eye · scotopic · adaptation · sensitivity · threshold · flash · afterimage
boson
Integer-spin subatomic particle
- quantumSmallest discrete unit
- masslessHaving zero mass
- elementaryOf first principles
subatomic · spin · momentum · gauge · relativistic · corpuscle · wave-particle · duality · packet · bundle
electromagnetic
Involving electric and magnetic fields
- oscillationRepeated back-and-forth movement
- wavelengthSpatial repetition interval
- frequencyRate of recurrence
amplitude · interference · diffraction · polarization · coherence · propagation · dispersion · refraction · transverse · phase
illumination
Provision of light
- brightnessDegree of light emitted
- luminosityIntrinsic brightness of source
- radianceGlowing luminous quality
beam · ray · flash · glow · luminescence · fluorescence · incandescence · shimmer · sparkle · gleam
joule
SI energy quantity
- PlanckQuantum theory's founder
- frequencyRate of recurrence
- wavelengthSpatial repetition interval
infrared · ultraviolet · gamma-ray · microwave · radio · spectral · monochromatic · high-energy · absorption · emission
quantization
Conversion to discrete values
- superpositionCoexisting in multiple states
- entanglementState of being intertwined
- uncertaintyState of being unsure
probability · amplitude · wavefunction · measurement · collapse · observer · complementarity · Copenhagen · decoherence · eigenstate
retina
Light-sensing tissue layer
- photoreceptorCell responding to light
- rodThin rigid stick
- coneTapered solid, circular base
visual · perception · eye · scotopic · adaptation · sensitivity · threshold · flash · afterimage · brightness
- Microscopicbacterium, virus, amoeba, paramecium, microbe
- particle physicsquark, quarks, lepton, leptons, boson
- quantum physicsquantum mechanics, quantum superposition, quantum state, quantum states, quantum entanglement
- Bosonsgluon, Higgs boson, W boson, meson, pion
- gauge bosonsgluon, W boson
- Vector BosonsW boson, gluon
photonfermion
Half-integer spin particle
electron · proton · neutron · Higgs boson · W boson
- faded photograph
- iconic photographWidely recognized historic image
- aerial photographImage taken from altitude
- photovoltaic effectLight producing electrical current
- CAM photosynthesisNocturnal CO2 fixation pathway
- photon torpedoesSci-fi spaceship armaments
photograph, photogenic, photons, photosynthesis, photonics, photometer, phototherapy, photoelectric, photogrammetry