Photons Flashcards
What are photons?
Particles of electromagnetic radiation.
What concept started the development of Quantum mechanics?
The idea that light can be both a wave and a particle as is behaves like both.
What was the ultraviolet catastrophe?
Physicists came up with an equation (Rayleigh-Jeans law) to work out the intensity of incoming light. The higher the frequency, the higher the intensity. This worked until the frequency reached the ultraviolet range.
What is Plancks law?
Electromagnetic energy takes form of tiny, discrete packets called quanta.
Describe the relationship between frequency and wavelength.
Frequency is inversely proportional to wavelength.
What is light like in a laser beam?
Monochromatic (one wavelength only) and coherent (all waves are in steps)
