| AAPPS Bulletin
Vol. 15 No. 2, April 2005 |
Articles
Einstein's Photon Hypothesis and Its Impact on Science and
Technology (PDF,
125KB)
Kunio Tada
Dept. Systems for Intellectual Creation, Graduate School of
Engineering, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Japan
abstract
In celebration of the World Year of Physics 2005, Einstein’s
photon hypothesis proposed exactly a hundred years ago is
reviewed along with its enormous impact on
science and technology still lasting over a century. In
the first half of the article, the photon
hypothesis and the law of photoelectric effect and their impact
on the progress of modern physics are
discussed. The latter half reviews the application of these
theories mainly to photodetection devices with emphasis on the
historical evolution of the new
technologies.
Keywords: Einstein, Photon hypothesis, photoelectric effect,
photodetector, photomultiplier tube,
photodiode, solar cell, CCD image sensor. |
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