Light: a quantum particle

Light as quantum and light sources Here we get deeper in the nature of light by looking at different light sources. Any object that we heat strongly enough will emit light. The most well known, though not much in use anymore, is the incandescent light bulb. When we get down to the atomic level, we need to understand that the atom of each element consists of a nucleus with a specific number of positive charges (the protons) and also neutral particles (the neutrons). In order for the atoms to be electrical neutral, the same number of electrons as there are protons must orbit the atomic nucleus so that the atom is electrically neutral. Since negative and positive charges attract each other, the laws of quantum mechanics require that the electrons stay on their orbit, and if they change orbits, they can do this only in a very specific way. This jumping from one orbit to another is the source of light of a given frequency. Light Sources Flourescence and Phosporescence Photometry

Ch. Elster
Aug 26 14:27:03 EDT 2019