👉 Light particles, often referred to as photons, interact with matter through various processes that underpin fundamental physics. When light particles encounter matter, they can be absorbed, reflected, refracted, or scattered. Absorption occurs when the energy of a photon matches the energy difference between two quantum states of an atom or molecule, causing an electron to jump to a higher energy level. This process is crucial for phenomena like photosynthesis and the operation of solar cells. Reflection happens when light bounces off a surface without entering it, governed by the laws of reflection where the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection. Scattering involves the redirection of light in multiple directions due to interactions with particles much smaller than the wavelength of light, such as in the scattering of sunlight by the Earth's atmosphere, which causes the blue color of the sky. These interactions are fundamental to understanding optics and the behavior of light in different media.
