photon
- a quantum of electromagnetic radiation, usually considered as an elementary particle that is its own antiparticle and that has zero rest mass and charge and a spin of one. Symbol: γ
Origin of photon
Examples from the Web for photon
Contemporary Examples of photon
When the gamma rays enter the sleeve, they interact with that photon gas, annihilating into electron-positron pairs.
The medicine worked because the photon–the quantum bundle of light and the carrier of the electromagnetic force–has no mass.
Among his pastimes was designing a solar-power car, the Photon Torpedo.
Historical Examples of photon
"Well, you know what happens when a photon comes in contact with the atomic structure of matter," Kato said.
The MercenariesHenry Beam Piper
Or there may be an inelastic collision, when the photon hits an atom and knocks out an electron—the old photoelectric effect.
The MercenariesHenry Beam Piper
Or, the photon may be retained for a while and emitted again relatively unchanged—the effect observed in luminous paint.
The MercenariesHenry Beam Piper
There were hundreds of scintillations, each caused by a nuclear particle or photon striking the screen.
The Blue Ghost MysteryHarold Leland Goodwin
photon
- a quantum of electromagnetic radiation, regarded as a particle with zero rest mass and charge, unit spin, and energy equal to the product of the frequency of the radiation and the Planck constant
Word Origin and History for photon
photon
(fō′tŏn′)- The quantum of electromagnetic energy, generally regarded as a discrete particle having zero mass, no electric charge, and an indefinitely long lifetime.
photon
- The subatomic particle that carries the electromagnetic force and is the quantum of electromagnetic radiation. The photon has a rest mass of zero, but has measurable momentum, exhibits deflection by a gravitational field, and can exert a force. It has no electric charge, has an indefinitely long lifetime, and is its own antiparticle. See Note at electromagnetic radiation. See Table at subatomic particle.
photon
The quantum, or bundle of energy, in which light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation are emitted. (See atom.)