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My Name is Austin.

I am currently working an a magic system that involves Photokinesis. However, I am having difficulty understanding its limits and its capabilities.

Visual example

The best definition for this type of magic comes from Fandom:

Light Manipulation - The user can create, shape and manipulate visible light, commonly referred to as light, is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye, and is responsible for the sense of sight.

Primary properties of visible light are intensity, propagation direction, frequency or wavelength spectrum, and polarization, while its speed in a vacuum (299,792,458 meters per second/186,000 MPS) is one of the fundamental constants of nature. Visible light, as with all types of electromagnetic radiation (EMR), is experimentally found to always move at this speed in a vacuum.

In common with all types of EMR, visible light is emitted and absorbed in tiny "packets" called photons and exhibits properties of both waves and particles. This property is referred to as the wave–particle duality. The study of light, known as optics, is an important research area in modern physics.

The area I am having an issue with is how any kind of light can affect matter, like a small rock.

Question: Can light manipulate matter in any other way beyond its temperature? Can light move matter, like it does with DC's Green Lantern's ring?

The capabilities and limitations of this Magic ability are important to me, because the magic system I am making is supposed to follow the laws of physics as closely as I can make it.

Thank you.!

Given enough light, enough protection, and the right conditions, light can move objects. Consider the solar sail, which can move objects not unlike a sail boat. Or any of the questions asked on this site about laser ploughs (laser trains/freight/etc), where a substantial laser beam is used to move cargo.

It's worth remembering that all electromagnetic radiation is photonic. Or, said another way, it's all light. Radio waves are a form of light.

So, yes, it's "doable" (in that we can mathematically model the theories... none of this is reality). However, considering the affect of the solar wind on Earth's magnetosphere, it's not beyond belief.

Keep in mind that you're trying to develop a magic system, which is 100% fictional, and keep it as closely related to physics as possible. We get these questions from time to time. Obviously, magic having nothing at all to do with physics, there's ony so much you can do to achieve this goal. Remember to be flexible and creative. Your story is often more about how well you write or present your ideas than it is how fact-based it is.

There are recent discoveries that points to the possibility of photons interacting with each other to form "bounds", so hard-light may not be too far fetched.

It’s a glimpse of science fiction made fact: Scientists have created a new form of light that could someday be used to build light crystals.

• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-link-photons-and-create-new-form-light-180968184/

Does this photokenisis extend to only visible light, or does any EMR count? There are many uses of radio waves, for example. You could interfere with communications or see through walls (this video explain how X-ray vision wouldn't work, but WiFi radio vision would). With infrared, you could get thermal and night visions.

Depending on how closely related to electricity this all is, photokenisis and electrokinesis could be essentially the same power, but I don't know if you want those two to be separate entities.

If all else fails, photokinectics could be walking flashlights and flash-bangs.