When you hit an atom with a burst of energy, it causes electrons to move from an orbit close to the nucleus, to an orbit slightly further from the nucleus (excitation). When that induced energy is removed, the electron "sinks" back to the original orbit and emits a "particle" of light.
At least that's how I learned it quite a few years back!
Beemerba t1_j9opt4w wrote
Reply to comment by 7eggert in What does it mean for light to be an excitation in the electromagnetic field? by Ethan-Wakefield
When you hit an atom with a burst of energy, it causes electrons to move from an orbit close to the nucleus, to an orbit slightly further from the nucleus (excitation). When that induced energy is removed, the electron "sinks" back to the original orbit and emits a "particle" of light.
At least that's how I learned it quite a few years back!