- Oxford University physicists have simulated how intense laser beams can alter vacuum, recreating a quantum physics phenomenon where vacuum is not empty but full of temporary particle pairs.
- Classical physics suggests light beams pass through each other undisturbed, but quantum mechanics posits that vacuum is filled with fleeting particles that scatter light.
- Simulations detailed in Communications Physics recreated a phenomenon where three focused laser pulses alter virtual particles in vacuum, generating a fourth laser beam in a 'light from darkness' process.
- The simulation used software called OSIRIS to model interactions between laser beams and matter, revealing that intense laser beams can agitate virtual particles and cause light particles to scatter.
- Physicists aim to conduct real-world laser experiments to confirm this quantum phenomenon, with the simulation potentially paving the way for studying hypothetical dark matter particles like axions and millicharged particles.
IN FULL
Physicists prove long-held theory light can be made from nothingness of vacuum
