- In the context of electromagnetism, there is only one elementary particle, the photon, which acts as the force carrier, transmitting the electromagnetic force and carrying energy and momentum.
- One way photons are created and destroyed is through subatomic processes within atoms and molecules.
- These processes often involve interactions between elementary particles governed by the strong nuclear force, which bind the building blocks of atoms (protons and neutrons) together.
- Remember that when photons are created within atoms and molecules through interactions like electron transitions and interactions with the strong nuclear force they produce light.
- Other light producing process (light sources) include: blackbody radiation (incandescent light bulb), nuclear fusion (sunlight), annihilation (gamma rays) and high-energy phenomena (supernovae).
Electromagnetic force
- The photon is the elementary particle associated with the electromagnetic force.
- It has no mass, no electric charge, and always travels at the speed of light in a vacuum.
- Photons carry electromagnetic energy and momentum.
- They are the building blocks of electromagnetic radiation, which encompasses a wide spectrum including light (visible and invisible), radio waves, X-rays, gamma rays, and more.
Strong Nuclear Force
- Gluons (g): These particles mediate the strong nuclear force, which binds quarks together to form protons and neutrons (collectively known as nucleons). Gluons themselves come in eight different “colours” and interact with each other, contributing to the strong force’s complex nature.
Weak Nuclear Force
- W and Z bosons (W⁺, W⁻, Z⁰): These three massive particles are responsible for mediating the weak nuclear force, which is involved in certain types of radioactive decay and some nuclear reactions. Unlike the photon and gluons, W and Z bosons have significant mass and participate in their own interactions.
Gravity (hypothetical)
- Graviton (G): While not yet directly observed, the graviton is the theorized force carrier for gravity. It is expected to be a massless particle with unique properties due to the nature of gravity itself. The search for the graviton is an active area of research in physics.
- A fundamental particle is the most basic unit of matter that is not composed of smaller particles. These particles are considered the building blocks of everything in the universe.
- In the context of electromagnetism, there is only one fundamental particle, the photon, which acts as the force carrier, transmitting the electromagnetic force and carrying energy and momentum.
- One way photons are created and destroyed is through subatomic processes within atoms and molecules.
- These processes often involve interactions between fundamental particles governed by the strong nuclear force, which bind the building blocks of atoms (protons and neutrons) together.
- Remember that when photons are created within atoms and molecules through interactions like electron transitions and interactions with the strong nuclear force they produce light.
- Other light producing process (light sources) include: blackbody radiation (incandescent light bulb), nuclear fusion (sunlight), annihilation (gamma rays) and high-energy phenomena (supernovae).