👉 Light particles, or photons, are fundamental entities that exhibit both wave-like and particle-like properties, a duality central to quantum mechanics. These particles of electromagnetic radiation originate from sources like stars, lamps, or even the sun's core, where atoms emit energy in the form of light. Photons are massless, traveling at the speed of light in a vacuum, approximately 299,792 kilometers per second. Unlike matter particles, they do not have charge or mass (except for relativistic effects at very high energies), and their behavior is described by quantum electrodynamics. Photons interact with matter through the electromagnetic force, enabling phenomena such as reflection, refraction, and absorption. Their particle nature is evident in discrete energy exchanges, like when a photon ejects an electron from an atom (photoelectric effect) or when light is absorbed to excite electrons to higher energy states. This duality—being both waves and particles—defines the unique role of light particles in both classical optics and quantum physics.
