TheOctopus
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- Apr 4, 2013
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Can light make matter?
According to Einstein’s famous equation (E=mc^2), mass & energy are interchangeable. Nuclear fusion releases energy and light/heat. In fusion, the total mass of the new nucleus is lower than that of the two that formed it; the "missing" mass is given off as energy. So, mass can turn into light.
But is the reverse process possible -- can light make matter?
Collide photons together and you should get matter/antimatter particle pairs, right? We teach it to undergrads and it sounds like a plausible idea, sort of like "photon fusion"...but it turns out to be surprisingly hard to prove. What you might not know is the reverse effect -- converting light into matter -- was only recently confirmed a few months ago!
Took 116 years to finally prove E=MC^2
According to Einstein’s famous equation (E=mc^2), mass & energy are interchangeable. Nuclear fusion releases energy and light/heat. In fusion, the total mass of the new nucleus is lower than that of the two that formed it; the "missing" mass is given off as energy. So, mass can turn into light.
But is the reverse process possible -- can light make matter?
Collide photons together and you should get matter/antimatter particle pairs, right? We teach it to undergrads and it sounds like a plausible idea, sort of like "photon fusion"...but it turns out to be surprisingly hard to prove. What you might not know is the reverse effect -- converting light into matter -- was only recently confirmed a few months ago!
Took 116 years to finally prove E=MC^2
