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photon Definition

☆ pho·ton (fō′tän′)

noun

  1. Particle Physics a subatomic particle, having energy and momentum but no mass or electric charge, that is the quantum unit of electromagnetic radiation, including light
  2. a unit of retinal illumination equal to the illumination from a surface having a brightness of one candle per sq meter seen through a pupil area of one sq millimeter

Etymology: phot(o)- + (electr)on

photon Related Forms

pho·ton′ic adjective

photon Telecom Definition

  1. A quantum of electromagnetic energy, a photon is a subatomic particle that has energy and momentum, but no mass or electric charge. A photon demonstrates wave and particle properties when in motion, but demonstrates no physical properties when at rest. See also electromagnetic spectrum and wave.
  2. A unit of light intensity at the retina equal to the illumination of one candle per square meter received through a pupil area of one square millimeter. See also candle and light.

photon Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • emit: What causes an excited atom or molecule to emit a photon?
  • polarize: I discovered and documented locations for apparent underground transmitters of polarized magnetic photon beams out into space.
  • absorb: Instead, they absorb ultraviolet photons from hot stars which are near or embedded in the nebula.
  • polarize: On beamline 5D circularly polarized photons are selected by means of a defining aperture, or chopper.
  • radiate: The associated energy balance imposes an upper limit on the energy of the radiated photons, well below the TeV range.

Adjective modifier

  • entangled: Then like the entangled photons you simply recreate an exact replica of yourself from the surrounding matter!
  • incoming: Four incoming photons are required to complete the process.
  • cosmic: Cosmic microwave background photons interact very weakly with neutral hydrogen.
  • virtual: Dissociation of virtual photons in events with a leading proton at HERA.

Modifies a noun

  • virtuality: These can be obtained in a continuous range of photon virtuality.
  • pile-up: Therefore, photon pile-up in RGS will be negligible.
  • flux: This is achieved by simulating the photon flux with a pixel array.
  • counting: Given this, the scheme is deterministic and requires only simple linear optics and photon counting.
  • tomography: Radionuclide imaging including positron emission tomography ( PET ) and single photon emission tomography.
  • torpedo: Photon torpedoes - what have explosive coffins got to do with photons?

Noun used with modifier

  • gamma-ray: Secondly, a spectrometer will measure the energies of incoming gamma-ray photons.
  • high-energy: Each group will be given one day's collection of high-energy photons, which they will enter into a 6 X 5 matrix.
  • X-ray: These mirrors were able to focus X-ray photons with energies in the range 0.1 - 10 KeV.
  • gamma: What begins as a single gamma ray photon in the sun's core emerges at the surface as thousands of visible-light photons.
  • x-ray: The conversion of electron energy into x-ray photons is also more efficient with fast rather than slow electrons.