Considering the scenario were a photon acts as a particle, how does amplitude affect the photon?
Does it increase its intensity? How do you visualise this?
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Does this answer your question? What is the amplitude of a light wave? – Charlie Mar 17 '20 at 20:12
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1@Charlie I was looking for a more quantum-mechanics approach, especially relating to the photoelectric effect ie- why does a photon not ionise an atom if it is below the threshold frequency even if it has very high amplitude? – XXb8 Mar 17 '20 at 20:19
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For a higher amplitude, just visualize more photons per unit volume (i.e., a higher number density and a higher energy density). But each individual photon has an energy that depends only on the frequency, not on the amplitude. Having lots of low-energy photons around doesn’t tend to ionize atoms if none of them have enough energy to eject an electron.
One exception to this general picture would be multi-photon ionization, but this is suppressed by factors of the fine-structure constant so it is comparatively rare.
G. Smith
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How come it can be visualised like this (more photons per unit volume) if it's only the amplitude of a single photon that is changed? – XXb8 Mar 17 '20 at 21:02
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3Individual photons don’t have amplitude. They don’t “wave”. They are point particles with energy and momentum. EM waves have amplitude. Photons and EM waves are not the same thing. – G. Smith Mar 17 '20 at 21:10