photon en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈfəʊtɒn/
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From photo- + -on. Coined by American physicist Leonard Troland in 1916 as a unit of light hitting the retina, and later popularized in a more modern sense by Gilbert N. Lewis, with the term gaining acceptance in the physics community by the late 1920s.
Meanings
-
(particle) The quantum of light and other electromagnetic energy, regarded as a discrete particle having zero rest mass, no electric charge, and an indefinitely long lifetime. It is a gauge boson.
The single-imaging optic of the mammalian eye offers some distinct visual advantages. Such lenses can take in photons from a wide range of angles, increasing light sensitivity. They also have high spatial resolution, resolving incoming images in minute detail.
2013 July-August, Fenella Saunders, “Tiny Lenses See the Big Picture”, in American Scientist:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| photons | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
multiphoton · proto-photon · photino · antiphoton · photonics · biphoton · photon mapping · photon sail · monophoton · photon sphere · last photon orbit · diphoton · dual photon absorptiometry · graviphoton · photon tunnelling · photon belt · photonic · super-photon · superphoton · biophoton · soft photon · photon circle · triphoton · notoph
Descendants
Relateds
Translations (74)
de Photon (quantum of light) · ar فُوتُون (quantum of light) · cy ffoton (quantum of light) · vi quang tử (quantum of light) · nl foton (quantum of light) · nn lyskvant (quantum of light) · fi valokvantti (quantum of light) · ca fotó (quantum of light) · fr photon (quantum of light) · nn foton (quantum of light) · tl sugapik (quantum of light) · tr foton (quantum of light) · my ဖိုတွန် (quantum of light) · ru фото́н (quantum of light) · uk фото́н (quantum of light) · mn фотон ᠹᠣᠲ᠋ᠣᠨ (quantum of light) · is ljóseind (quantum of light) · bn ফোটন (quantum of light) · fa فوتون (quantum of light) · sh fòtōn (quantum of light) · hi फ़ोटोन (quantum of light) · ko 광자 (quantum of light) · ta ஒளியன் (quantum of light) · hy ֆոտոն (quantum of light) · ast fotón (quantum of light) · ne प्रकाशाणु (quantum of light) · hi प्रकाशाणु (quantum of light) · ja 光子 (quantum of light) · ka ფოტონი (quantum of light) · io fotono (quantum of light) · eo fotono (quantum of light) · de Lichtteilchen (quantum of light) · da foton (quantum of light) · th โฟตอน (quantum of light) · vro foodon (quantum of light) · fi valohiukkanen (quantum of light) · pt fotão (quantum of light) · nl lichtdeeltje (quantum of light) · no foton (quantum of light) · gl fotón (quantum of light) · eu fotoi (quantum of light) · no lyskvant (quantum of light) · es fotón (quantum of light) · cs foton (quantum of light) · nan-hbl 光子 (quantum of light) · hu foton (quantum of light) · sh фо̀то̄н (quantum of light) · ro foton (quantum of light) · mr प्रकाशाणू (quantum of light) · sw fotoni (quantum of light) · bg фото́н (quantum of light) · gu પ્રકાશાણુ (quantum of light) · nb foton (quantum of light) · cmn 光子 (quantum of light) · et footon (quantum of light) · it fotone (quantum of light) · he פוטון (quantum of light) · mk фотон (quantum of light) · is fótóna (quantum of light) · pl foton (quantum of light) · pt fóton (quantum of light) · et valguseosake (quantum of light) · is ljósögn (quantum of light) · km អាភាណូ (quantum of light) · sa प्रकाशाणु (quantum of light) · nb lyskvant (quantum of light) · ms foton (quantum of light) · el φωτόνιο (quantum of light) · nds-de Lichtdeelken (quantum of light) · be фато́н (quantum of light) · fi fotoni (quantum of light) · mi pūaho (quantum of light) · mg voan-kazavana (quantum of light) · sv foton (quantum of light)