Scientists Work Out How To Create Matter From Light

Valiant · 06-07-2014

"Theoretical physicists have proposed a way they think will allow us to create matter from light. The experiment has yet to be done, but has passed peer review as practical and the inventors are in discussions with experimentalists with the equipment to carry it out. The proposal has created excitement because, while it has been accepted for 80 years that two photons of light could theoretically create matter, for that time the demonstrational proof was regarded as beyond the reach of lab equipment.

As Einstein's much quoted, but seldom understood, equation e=mc2 tells us, matter and energy are connected. One can turn into another. Light is one of the forms of energy produced from matter in atomic bombs. However, going the other way is more of a challenge.

In 1934 Gregory Breit and John Wheeler proposed that, under the right circumstances, two photons of light would convert into an electron and its antimatter equivalent the positron. Breit-Wheeler pair production is classified as one of seven basic types of light and matter interactions (see chart below). The others all resulted in Nobel Prizes, either for the experimentalist who observed it or the theoretician who explained it. (In some cases, observations came before theory, whereas in others it was the reverse).

"Despite all physicists accepting the theory to be true, when Breit and Wheeler first proposed the theory, they said that they never expected it be shown in the laboratory,” says Professor Steve Rose of Imperial College London. However, the options open to experimentalists have expanded a lot since then.

Earlier this year two physicists from the University of Warsaw, Katarzyna Krajewska and Jerzy Kaminski modeled the distributions of electron-positron pairs created when laser and nonlaser photons collide, noting that the “rapid development of high-power laser technology has led to a renaissance of theoretical interest in strong-ﬁeld quantum electrodynamics.”

Now Rose and his Phd student Oliver Pike have come up with a way to put this sort of modeling to the test. In Nature Photonics they propose a two step process. High intensity lasers would be used to push electrons until they are traveling close to the speed of light, directing them towards a slab of gold. The electrons' impact would release high energy gamma rays. Ordinary gamma rays, such as those produced by many nuclear decays, will not do it. The photons produced here are 1000 times as energetic as those at at the division between X-Rays and gamma rays, or a billion times that of visible light.

Then it would be necessary to send the output of a high energy laser inside an otherwise hollow gold tube and fire the light at the tube's inner surface to create a spread of wavelengths. If the high energy gamma rays from the first stage are directed into the ultraheated center of the tube Rose and Pike believe the collisions between the two sorts of photons would not only produce electron-positron pairs, but do so in such numbers “of the order of 100,000 pairs” that they would be detectable.

"Although the theory is conceptually simple, it has been very difficult to verify experimentally. We were able to develop the idea for the collider very quickly, but the experimental design we propose can be carried out with relative ease and with existing technology,” says Pike.

The idea came not from a systematic search for a Breit-Wheeler demonstration, but Pike's contribution to the quest for nuclear fusion. The hollow gold can, known as a hohlraum is a staple of fusion research. “Within a few hours of looking for applications of hohlraums outside their traditional role in fusion energy research we were astonished to find they provided the perfect conditions for creating a photon collider,” Pike says.

There is, of course, many a slip between the can and the lip. Although Pike and Rose are collaborating with labs with the equipment to try the experiment out it has yet to be done. The vast expense of energy to create a few electrons would make this a dead loss as a commercial process, but the potential to shed light on the quantum world matters greatly. "

Emera · 06-07-2014

Link to the article (that should have been provided in OP >:o)
http://www.iflscience.com/physics/sc...e-matter-light

hosler · 06-07-2014

Taking 3d printers to the next level. World is turning into star trek.

Talon · 06-07-2014

IFLScience is so great. One of the only reasons I ever log on to Facebook.

Thallen · 06-07-2014

stop you're questioning my belief in Jesus

Valiant · 06-07-2014

Posted by Emera

Link to the article (that should have been provided in OP >:o)
http://www.iflscience.com/physics/sc...e-matter-light

Yeah you're right my bad, just didn't see the point in linking it when I posted the whole thing, I'll include it next time.

Posted by hosler

Taking 3d printers to the next level. World is turning into star trek.

The world is already Star Trek you are undergoing your history exam in which you spend 2 hours as a normal human being , but those 2 hours will feel like years.

Posted by Talon

IFLScience is so great. One of the only reasons I ever log on to Facebook.

I just got into it, love it so far.

Posted by Thallen

stop you're questioning my belief in Jesus

What created the particles that caused this, and what created space, that should help fuel your belief.

Era News · 06-07-2014

Posted by Valiant

Yeah you're right my bad, just didn't see the point in linking it when I posted the whole thing, I'll include it next time.

The point is, it's plagiarism.

Valiant · 06-07-2014

Posted by Era News

The point is, it's plagiarism.

Plagiarism is the "wrongful appropriation" and "stealing and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions" and the representation of them as one's own original work.

I never claimed this as my work, and I put them in quotation marks to indicate it was the wording of someone else, I didn't take any credit for this so I can't see the issue.

Now let's stay on topic before this is derailed.

hosler · 06-08-2014

Posted by Era News

The point is, it's plagiarism.

No one cares.

iMerp · 06-08-2014

AND WE STILL CAN'T PLAY A VIDEO ON A DIFFERENT TAB ON MOBILE?????
WTF PEOPLE!?

Valiant · 06-08-2014

Posted by iMerp

AND WE STILL CAN'T PLAY A VIDEO ON A DIFFERENT TAB ON MOBILE?????
WTF PEOPLE!?

I'll get right on that.

Talon · 06-08-2014

Posted by iMerp

AND WE STILL CAN'T PLAY A VIDEO ON A DIFFERENT TAB ON MOBILE?????
WTF PEOPLE!?

Developers != Physicists

Emera · 06-08-2014

Posted by iMerp

AND WE STILL CAN'T PLAY A VIDEO ON A DIFFERENT TAB ON MOBILE?????
WTF PEOPLE!?

iMerp · 06-08-2014

Posted by Valiant

I'll get right on that.

You better.

GOAT · 06-08-2014

Posted by Valiant

Plagiarism is the "wrongful appropriation" and "stealing and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions" and the representation of them as one's own original work.

I never claimed this as my work, and I put them in quotation marks to indicate it was the wording of someone else, I didn't take any credit for this so I can't see the issue.

Now let's stay on topic before this is derailed.

the topics must be realistically within the community's intelligence. I think 98% of this community(including myself) could not provide anything useful in this discussion without Google.

Note: maybe one of the graal writers (like a lore master) can make a thread/guide on plagiarism.

06-07-2014	1
Valiant Registered User Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Computer Posts: 38	Scientists Work Out How To Create Matter From Light "Theoretical physicists have proposed a way they think will allow us to create matter from light. The experiment has yet to be done, but has passed peer review as practical and the inventors are in discussions with experimentalists with the equipment to carry it out. The proposal has created excitement because, while it has been accepted for 80 years that two photons of light could theoretically create matter, for that time the demonstrational proof was regarded as beyond the reach of lab equipment. As Einstein's much quoted, but seldom understood, equation e=mc2 tells us, matter and energy are connected. One can turn into another. Light is one of the forms of energy produced from matter in atomic bombs. However, going the other way is more of a challenge. In 1934 Gregory Breit and John Wheeler proposed that, under the right circumstances, two photons of light would convert into an electron and its antimatter equivalent the positron. Breit-Wheeler pair production is classified as one of seven basic types of light and matter interactions (see chart below). The others all resulted in Nobel Prizes, either for the experimentalist who observed it or the theoretician who explained it. (In some cases, observations came before theory, whereas in others it was the reverse). "Despite all physicists accepting the theory to be true, when Breit and Wheeler first proposed the theory, they said that they never expected it be shown in the laboratory,” says Professor Steve Rose of Imperial College London. However, the options open to experimentalists have expanded a lot since then. Earlier this year two physicists from the University of Warsaw, Katarzyna Krajewska and Jerzy Kaminski modeled the distributions of electron-positron pairs created when laser and nonlaser photons collide, noting that the “rapid development of high-power laser technology has led to a renaissance of theoretical interest in strong-ﬁeld quantum electrodynamics.” Now Rose and his Phd student Oliver Pike have come up with a way to put this sort of modeling to the test. In Nature Photonics they propose a two step process. High intensity lasers would be used to push electrons until they are traveling close to the speed of light, directing them towards a slab of gold. The electrons' impact would release high energy gamma rays. Ordinary gamma rays, such as those produced by many nuclear decays, will not do it. The photons produced here are 1000 times as energetic as those at at the division between X-Rays and gamma rays, or a billion times that of visible light. Then it would be necessary to send the output of a high energy laser inside an otherwise hollow gold tube and fire the light at the tube's inner surface to create a spread of wavelengths. If the high energy gamma rays from the first stage are directed into the ultraheated center of the tube Rose and Pike believe the collisions between the two sorts of photons would not only produce electron-positron pairs, but do so in such numbers “of the order of 100,000 pairs” that they would be detectable. "Although the theory is conceptually simple, it has been very difficult to verify experimentally. We were able to develop the idea for the collider very quickly, but the experimental design we propose can be carried out with relative ease and with existing technology,” says Pike. The idea came not from a systematic search for a Breit-Wheeler demonstration, but Pike's contribution to the quest for nuclear fusion. The hollow gold can, known as a hohlraum is a staple of fusion research. “Within a few hours of looking for applications of hohlraums outside their traditional role in fusion energy research we were astonished to find they provided the perfect conditions for creating a photon collider,” Pike says. There is, of course, many a slip between the can and the lip. Although Pike and Rose are collaborating with labs with the equipment to try the experiment out it has yet to be done. The vast expense of energy to create a few electrons would make this a dead loss as a commercial process, but the potential to shed light on the quantum world matters greatly. "

06-07-2014	2
Emera Nerd Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Berlin Posts: 3,825	Link to the article (that should have been provided in OP >:o) http://www.iflscience.com/physics/sc...e-matter-light

06-07-2014	3
hosler Banned Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 1,059	Taking 3d printers to the next level. World is turning into star trek.

06-07-2014	4
Talon don't call it a comeback Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 8,268	IFLScience is so great. One of the only reasons I ever log on to Facebook.

06-07-2014	5
Thallen Enguard & Alumni Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 5,773	stop you're questioning my belief in Jesus

06-08-2014	10
iMerp Lol u mad? Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Under a rock Posts: 166	AND WE STILL CAN'T PLAY A VIDEO ON A DIFFERENT TAB ON MOBILE????? WTF PEOPLE!?