Eli5: Are photons “dangerous”, as in are they cutting through things, based on the fact that some lasers can damage solid materials?

Question

Eli5: Are photons “dangerous”, as in are they cutting through things, based on the fact that some lasers can damage solid materials?

In: Technology

Answer 1

Photons are fundamental particles. They can be harmless or harmful depending on how they interact with the rest of the world.

What’s really dangerous is the amount of energy. The more energy something have, the more it can disrupt (break) things. The energy you absorb from photons is the difference between your wifi, the light you see and a deadly gamma ray from the sun.