Light can indeed display properties of both waves and particles, known as wave-particle duality. In certain situations, light behaves primarily as a wave, while in others, it exhibits particle-like behavior. However, it's important to note that light always travels through vacuum as an electromagnetic wave.
In the context of traveling through a vacuum, light primarily demonstrates wave-like properties. It propagates as an oscillating electromagnetic field, consisting of perpendicular electric and magnetic components. These fields self-generate and propagate without the need for a medium, such as air or water. This wave-like behavior of light in vacuum is described by Maxwell's equations, which govern the behavior of electromagnetic waves.
The particle-like behavior of light is typically observed in specific experimental setups, such as the photoelectric effect or the double-slit experiment. In these cases, light can be described as discrete packets of energy called photons. Photons are quanta of light that exhibit particle-like properties, such as carrying momentum and interacting with matter as individual entities.
However, even in vacuum, where light primarily behaves as a wave, it is possible to observe certain particle-like characteristics. For example, in high-energy phenomena, such as particle accelerators, individual photons can interact with matter and produce particle-like effects. In these scenarios, the energy and momentum of individual photons are significant, and their interactions can be described using particle-based models.
So, while light predominantly exhibits wave-like behavior when traveling through a vacuum, it can still display particle-like properties under certain conditions, such as high-energy interactions or specific experimental setups. The wave-particle duality of light is a fundamental aspect of quantum mechanics.