The scientist who gave us the concept of the photon as a way of describing light as a particle was Albert Einstein. In 1905, Einstein explained the photoelectric effect by proposing that light is composed of discrete packets of energy, which he called quanta. These packets later became known as photons. His work built on Max Planck's earlier idea of quantized energy and established the particle nature of light in modern physics.
Max Planck introduced the idea of energy quanta around 1900, but it was Einstein who formulated the photon concept specifically in relation to light's particle behavior through the photoelectric effect. The term "photon" itself was popularized later by Gilbert N. Lewis in 1926.
In summary:
- Max Planck introduced energy quanta concept (1900)
- Albert Einstein described light as discrete quanta (photons) explaining photoelectric effect (1905)
- Gilbert N. Lewis popularized the word "photon" (1926)
Thus, the key scientist who gave us the photon as a particle description of light was Albert Einstein.