Quantum physics and light?

Question

ok so I know that light exists both as a particle and as a wave... and I understand (as much as any student can) the general system... but I was wondering which is the thing with the mass... Is it a photon or is it a light wave.... Which has energy

how does light get created in a such extreme form that allows it to generate itself at such an extreme speed?

Answer 1

With light, both the particle aspect and the wave aspect of a photon are massless, which is what allows light to travel at the speed of light, the maximum possible speed anything can go relative to another. According to special relativity, the only way for something to go at the speed of light is for it to be massless, in which case it must go at the speed of light.

Both the particle and the wave have energy, but it isn't equivocal with the photon's "rest mass". The equivalent mass (E=mc^2) describes the gravitational effect the photon would feel/exert, the amount of mass it may contribute to particle interactions, and the photon's momentum.

In terms of its creation, there is nothing "extreme" about its creation in the sense that you speak of. It always will generate itself at the speed of light; the conditions of its creation only determine its energy.

Answer 2

Light is massless both as a wave and a photon. The mass it can have is if you completely stop it and convert all of its energy to mass. e=mc^2 so the potential mass of the photon is m=e/c^2 where e is the energy of the photon. As for creating light, It is released as energy in simple quantum transistions of electrons (jumping down levels) or in more complicated collisions and other interactions. You can also create light, more accurately an electromagnetic wave, by accelerating a charge. Shake an electron or make it run up and down an antenna ought to do the trick.

Answer 3

the photon is the light wave. the photon behaves as both a particle and a wave, as any other elementary particle does.

this is a tricky answer to give. it can travel at such an extreme speed because it has no rest mass. but, according to some it has no rest mass because it cant be at rest, its sort of a paradox.

this is the answer id stick with. the photon has no rest mass (mostly because its never at rest) so it can travel as fast as possible with the smallest amount of energy, which is the speed of light. but since a photon has energy it HAS to have mass. thats when relativistic mass comes in. according to einstein, light has relativistic mass since it has energy. so basically when it moves it gains mass since it gains energy. the relativistic mass would be tiny, immeasurable with our current technology. but it should happen.

so to sum up. a photon and a light wave are the same thing. they have energy, and relativistic mass (but not rest mass). it travels so fast because it has no rest mass.

Answer 4

The way I understood it was it is the photon with the mass. it creates a magnetic field, the magnetic field creates a photon. but I'm sure you already knew that. I dont really understand so I cant answer your question.

Answer 5

Light is a very strange thing.  It is massless.  Even though it is massless, it still has momentum (it can knock out electrons).  Usually when you talk about the energy you are referring to the wave (E=hv). No one really knows why it has all these strange properties, or how it gets created in such an extreme form, it just is.