I mean, that depends on the definition. Not a physicist, but as far as I understand it during fusion the hydrogen’s binding energy is released as light/photons. So I’d argue that part of the hydrogen does become a photon.
I would say that the binding energy is like the potential energy of an object held in the air. If you dropped it into water and it had enough energy, water droplets would splash out.
The water is the virtual photons that surround the hydrogen.
I mean, that depends on the definition. Not a physicist, but as far as I understand it during fusion the hydrogen’s binding energy is released as light/photons. So I’d argue that part of the hydrogen does become a photon.
I would say that the binding energy is like the potential energy of an object held in the air. If you dropped it into water and it had enough energy, water droplets would splash out.
The water is the virtual photons that surround the hydrogen.