What Happens to Massless Light at the End of Its Existence?

[ianpaul12345]

if light is made of photons yet it has no mass, the particle is massless how can it be matter, as matter is defined as having mass and taking up space? there must be an end to light, it must brake down, i understand energy can not be destroyed only converted, what happens to light at the end of it life??

 

[Dale]

Hi ianpaul12345, welcome to PF!

As you say, the usual definition of matter is something which has mass and takes up space. Photons have no mass and do not take up space, so they are not matter.

At the end of it's life light does work on matter with charge, transferring it's energy and momentum to the matter.

 

[ianpaul12345]

dark matter?

 

[ianpaul12345]

heavy photons,But a photon with a very tiny "in between" mass

 

[Dale]

Sorry, I cannot understand those last two posts.