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the-star-stuff: Physicists create light out of nothing Scientists have used the spooky properties of quantum physics to create light out of empty space. Researchers including Professor Tim Duty from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, used a strange phenomenon called the dynamical Casimir effect to force a mirror to make its own light rather than simply reflecting the light around it. The study reported in the journal Nature uses the weird science of quantum fluctuations in which virtual sub-atomic elementary particle pairs continuously pop in and out of existence in a vacuum. “Understanding vacuum fluctuations will help scientists researching physics raging from gravity waves to the evaporation of black holes,” says Duty. Duty and colleagues were able to scatter half of the virtual particle pairs before the particles could reconnect and pop out of existence, forcing them to become real. “That’s where the dynamical Casimir effect comes in allowing scientists to generate a virtual photon particle,” says Duty. (read the full article here) Scientists have used a mirror to create light instead of just reflecting it. This is awesome!

the-star-stuff:

Physicists create light out of nothing

Scientists have used the spooky properties of quantum physics to create light out of empty space.

Researchers including Professor Tim Duty from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, used a strange phenomenon called the dynamical Casimir effect to force a mirror to make its own light rather than simply reflecting the light around it.

The study reported in the journal Nature uses the weird science of quantum fluctuations in which virtual sub-atomic elementary particle pairs continuously pop in and out of existence in a vacuum.

“Understanding vacuum fluctuations will help scientists researching physics raging from gravity waves to the evaporation of black holes,” says Duty.

Duty and colleagues were able to scatter half of the virtual particle pairs before the particles could reconnect and pop out of existence, forcing them to become real.

“That’s where the dynamical Casimir effect comes in allowing scientists to generate a virtual photon particle,” says Duty. (read the full article here)

Scientists have used a mirror to create light instead of just reflecting it. This is awesome!

1 year ago  
 52 notes

#science #physics #quantum physics #light
52 notes
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  10. alivingcellinalivinghell reblogged this from the-star-stuff and added:
    And this is why I want to major in this field of studies!
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    creepy.
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