Can Photons Replace Electrons in Electric Currents?

[lufc88]

The photon is the force carrier of the electromagnetic force, I'm not talking about photonics but hasn't the effect of every electric current dc or ac ever been due to photons acting only? In theory couldn't we have an electron-less current due to only photons but still with the same effects?

 

[f95toli]

No, because photons do not carry charge. They mediate force, but you still need something to carry the actual current.

 

[Dale]

As f95toli said a photon cannot produce a current, but photons can do a lot of what we want to use current for. For example, you can use them to transmit power wirelessly as well as transmitting information. Those are the two main uses of currents in electronic circuits.

So, no, you cannot ever make a current out of photons, but yes you can do many of the same things that you usually want to do with currents by using photons instead.

Btw, there is usually no need to actually think about photons in this context, just fields.