#1 Photons are the smallest particles of electromagnetic energy

A PHOTON is an elementary particle that is a quantum of the electromagnetic field, including electromagnetic radiation such as light and radio waves, and the force carrier for the electromagnetic force.
A PHOTON IS A particle representing a quantum of light or other electromagnetic radiation. A photon carries energy proportional to the radiation frequency but has zero rest mass.
Photons are the smallest possible particles of electromagnetic energy and, therefore, the smallest possible light particles. Photons can travel at the speed of light because they have no mass (thanks to relativity). Photons also have no charge. Photons represent the entire spectrum of electromagnetic radiation. A photon is the fundamental unit of light and electromagnetic radiation, acting as a particle. It’s essentially a “packet” or “quantum” of energy that makes up all forms of light, including visible light, radio waves, X-rays, and gamma rays. Examples of photons in action include the light from a screen, the signals in radio waves, and the radiation from X-ray machines. Photons carry information. A photon’s properties, like frequency (color), polarization (spin), direction, and phase, can carry information about the source that emitted it or the object it interacted with. This information can be used to encode data, as seen in applications like quantum key distribution and quantum networks.

Photons carry information. A photon’s properties, like frequency (color), polarization (spin), direction, and phase, can carry information about the source that emitted it or the object it interacted with. This information can be used to encode data, as seen in applications like quantum key distribution and quantum networks.

A photon is a specific type of quantum, specifically a quantum of electromagnetic radiation (light). “Quantum is a more general term referring to the smallest discrete unit of any physical quantity, like energy or momentum. Think of a photon as a single, indivisible “packet” of light energy.

Eletromagnetic waves are self-sustaining: they don’t require a physical medium to travel, unlike sound waves, which need air, water, or a solid to propagate. Speed of light: All electromagnetic waves travel at the speed of light in a vacuum (approximately 300,000 km/s or 186,000 mi/s). Transverse waves: The electric and magnetic fields oscillate at right angles to each other and to the direction of wave travel, according to Isaac Physics. The Electromagnetic Spectrum: Electromagnetic waves encompass a wide range of frequencies and wavelengths, including radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays. Energy transfer: These waves carry energy through space and can be used for various applications, such as communication, imaging, and heating.

The electromagnetic field is sourced by electric charges. Its properties are manifestly different from those of the electromagnetic field. Geometrically, whereas the electromagnetic field is a vector field, the electronic field is a so-called spinor field, a somewhat abstract mathematical concept that basically “transforms like the square root of a vector. The electromagnetic field has no charge; the electronic field is charged, each excitation adding a charge unit. The two fields interact: the theory that describes this interaction is called quantum electrodynamics. Things get tangled here because these fields combine the electric and weak interactions.

The 4 quantum numbers: In atoms, there are a total of 4 quantum numbers: the principal quantum number (n), the angular momentum quantum number (l), the magnetic quantum number (ml), and the electron spin quantum number (ms).
A photon is produced in the form of radiation when a particle and antiparticle annihilate. A photon can also be emitted when an electron jumps from a higher energy level to a lower one, in a process known as a quantum leap.

THE BIG BANG WAS not a moment in time but a paradigm: the basic idea is that the universe was much denser and much hotter in the past than it is at present. The great mathematical paradox is that, similar to how the point at x=0x=0 is not a part of the function y=1/x2y=1/x2, the extreme definition of an “initial singularity” by general relativity is not a part of the spacetime manifold. In any case, no serious cosmologist believes that we can take this prediction of general relativity for granted: it would require gravity to work in this extreme regime, where quantum effects of gravitation, if any, become dominant. We do not have a viable quantum theory of gravitation. Indeed, we do not even know how matter behaves at energy scales much larger than that of the Large Hadron Collider (but still many orders of magnitude smaller than the famous Planck scale).
No, all mass and energy were not “concentrated in one spot.” That is not how cosmic expansion works. The cosmos of the standard cosmological model is infinite and has always been boundless. Expansion means that things are less dense today than they were yesterday. Those things are farther apart from each other on average today than yesterday. But things are everywhere, approximately at the same average density. There is no “inside” and “outside,” and the infinite cosmos always had matter everywhere. This may be hard to intuit, but I assure you, the mathematics is robust and consistent; the limitation is that of our visual intuition, which is not set up to make sense of a relativistic cosmos.
Just because there is a lot of mass does not mean it is a black hole. The same mass that forms a black hole when it is static or nearly so will not necessarily form a black hole when flying apart at a high speed. The equations in question include the density of matter, its pressure, and momentum. Again, naive reasoning has no place here. No black hole emerges when we solve Einstein’s field equations for those, as mentioned earlier, infinite, expanding cosmos. These are the same equations that predict a black hole when the mass is compact and slowly collapsing.

Mass alone will not create a black hole: the dynamics also play a role. Photons, described as excitation quanta of the electromagnetic field, can exist and propagate in otherwise empty space. For instance, they travel as rays of light in a vacuum. The term “excitation quanta” refers to the discrete packets of energy that photons carry, enabling them to exist independently of matter. Photons exhibit wave-like and particle-like properties, leading to their critical role in quantum mechanics and the behavior of light.

The electromagnetic field, which underpins the forces of electromagnetism, derives its existence from electric charges. Unlike the electronic field, which is associated with electrons, the electromagnetic field itself is devoid of charge, necessitating the presence of charges from other fields. The most straightforward example is the electronic field, which represents the behavior of electrons—subatomic particles with a negative charge that play a fundamental role in electricity, chemistry, and most physical interactions. The properties of these two fields—electromagnetic and electronic—are distinctly different. Geometrically, the electromagnetic field is classified as a vector field, which means it has both magnitude and direction, allowing it to describe phenomena like electric and magnetic fields. In contrast, the electromagnetic field is termed a spinor field. This complex concept can be thought of as a mathematical entity that transforms similarly to the square root of a vector, allowing for intricate calculations in quantum physics but often requiring advanced understanding to grasp fully.

While the electromagnetic field carries no charge, the electronic field is inherently charged; each excitation of this field contributes a discrete charge unit. The interaction between these two fields is crucial for understanding electromagnetic forces and is formally described by quantum electrodynamics (QED). This theory unifies the principles of quantum mechanics with electromagnetic interactions, detailing how light and matter interact at the quantum level.

Additionally, it’s important to highlight that other fields, such as those associated with the W boson (which mediates the weak force) and all types of quarks (the building blocks of protons and neutrons), also carry charge. The complexity arises when considering that these differing fields participate in a broader unification of the electric and weak interactions, leading to a more nuanced understanding of charge within the Standard Model of particle physics framework. This model represents a comprehensive theory categorizing all known fundamental particles and their interactions, providing a foundation for modern theoretical physics. Photons, described as excitation quanta of the electromagnetic field, can exist and propagate in otherwise empty space. For instance, they travel as rays of light in a vacuum. The term “excitation quanta” refers to the discrete packets of energy that photons carry, enabling them to exist independently of matter. Photons exhibit wave-like and particle-like properties, leading to their critical role in quantum mechanics and the behavior of light.

#1 Photons are the smallest particles of electromagnetic energy

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