Les photons

This show illustrates how the corpuscular theory developed by Isaac Newton can account for the reflection, refraction and geometric dispersion of light.

First conceived by Christiaan Huygens, the and particle hypothesis was to prevail over Newton's theories. The episode shows that energy needs a medium to be transmitted and presents the theory of light interference developed by Thomas Young as well as Jean Foucault's observations on the speed of light.

Following the work of Maxwell and Hertz, science is led to adopt a theory that involves two variable quantities: the electric field and the magnetic field.

The quantum theory of light, developed in 1906 by Albert Einstein based in particular on experiments on the photoelectric effect, has its origin in the research of Planck, who in 1900 discovered the principle of the emission of energy in beams (the quanta). The video explains how this work led science to adopt the principle of the…

Louis de Broglie saw clearly that bundles of material particles can, under certain conditions, behave like waves. Illustrating the difference between photons and electrons, the video shows the need to use both a wave and particle theory to explain the singularity of the behavior of electromagnetic radiation.