Physicists Develop Experiment to Turn Light into Matter
Physicists have successfully developed an experiment to turn light into matter, potentially enabling the realization of Albert Einstein’s famous equation E = MC^2. Researchers from the University of Osaka and the University of California at San Diego have simulated photon clashes using powerful lasers. The findings of the study, which have been published in the journal Physical Review Letters, suggest that these clashes may result in the formation of pairs of electrons and positrons, which are the antiparticles of electrons. The laser’s electric field can accelerate positrons, producing a positron beam.
Alexey Arefiev, a physicist from UC San Diego and co-author of the study, stated that their proposal is experimentally feasible as the required laser intensity is already attainable. The researchers utilized simulations to test potential experimental setups, ultimately discovering a promising scheme. The proposed photon-photon collider capitalizes on the Breita-Uyler process, wherein gamma rays are annihilated to generate electron-positron pairs.
Deep within distant regions of the cosmos, where stars are born and die, extreme physical conditions already exist. In 2021, another group of researchers put forth the idea that the nuclei of neutron stars can serve as sites for this transformative process, converting particles of dark matter into photons. Neutron stars, specifically rotating ones known as pulsars, create a high-energy environment conducive to the creation of matter from light. Pulsars can rotate thousands of times per second, emitting gamma rays, and possess exceptionally powerful magnetic fields. Additionally, pulsars are utilized as tools for measuring gravitational waves in space.
The results of this study unveil new possibilities for studying the composition of the universe, allowing scientists to investigate distant