👉 The atom, often referred to as a light particle or photon in the context of quantum physics, is the fundamental building block of matter. At its core, an atom consists of a dense nucleus at its center, which contains protons and neutrons—collectively known as nucleons—and a cloud of negatively charged electrons orbiting around it. Protons are positively charged, while neutrons have no charge, and electrons carry a negative charge. The nucleus is incredibly small but holds most of the atom's mass. Light particles, specifically photons, are massless, chargeless particles that mediate interactions between atoms and other subatomic particles through electromagnetic forces. Photons are essential in processes like light emission and absorption, making them central to our understanding of both atomic structure and broader physical phenomena such as electricity and magnetism.
