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Inside Giant Atom Smasher, Physicists See the Impossible: Light Interacting with Light
Lie Science ^ | April 25, 2019 07:14am ET | Paul Sutter,

Posted on 04/25/2019 9:24:13 AM PDT by BenLurkin

The laws of physics are such that one photon just passes by another with zero interaction.

But in a new experiment inside the world's most powerful atom smasher, researchers got a glimpse of the impossible: photons bumping into each other.

The answer lies in one of the most inscrutable and yet delicious aspects of modern physics, and it goes by the funky name of quantum electrodynamics.

In this picture of the subatomic world, the photon isn't necessarily a photon. Well, at least, it's not always a photon. Particles like electrons and photons and all the other -ons continually flip back and forth, changing identities as they travel. It seems confusing at first: How could, say, a beam of light be anything other than a beam of light?

In order to understand this wacky behavior, we need to expand our consciousness a little...

In the case of photons, as they travel, every once in a while (and keep in mind that this is extremely, extremely rare), one can change its mind. And instead of being just a photon, it can become a pair of particles, a negatively charged electron and a positively charged positron (the antimatter partner of the electron), that travel together.

Blink and you'll miss it, because the positron and electron will find each other, and, as happens when matter and antimatter meet, they annihilate, poof. The odd pair will turn back into a photon.

For various reasons that are way too complicated to get into right now, when this happens, these pairs are called virtual particles. Suffice it to say that in almost all cases you never get to interact with the virtual particles (in this case, the positron and electron), and you only ever get to talk to the photon.

But not in every case.

(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...


TOPICS: Science
KEYWORDS: antimatter; electrodynamics; electron; matter; photon; physics; positron; quantumphysics; science; stringtheory; virtualparticles
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To: BenLurkin

“Hey, bro, how’s by you?”
“Not so good. My significant positron and I got separated.”
“Well, that’s a shame.”
“Yeah, and worse, she caught me talking to a photon and now won’t come near me.”
“Oh, wow. You were going for a three-way?”
“I know how it looks. But now, I don’t even know if I’m a wave or a particle.”
“Have you tried a slit test, man?”
“Like I said, she won’t come near me.”


21 posted on 04/25/2019 9:57:10 AM PDT by sparklite2 (Don't mind me. I'm just a contrarian.)
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To: BenLurkin

So if a proton identifies as an electron, it can then use the preferred restroom?


22 posted on 04/25/2019 9:57:56 AM PDT by bk1000 (I stand with Trump)
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To: BenLurkin

“Dude, you’re in my space. Get outta my space.


23 posted on 04/25/2019 10:06:27 AM PDT by Huskrrrr
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To: rjsimmon

What was your post before I observed it?


24 posted on 04/25/2019 10:24:46 AM PDT by TexasGator (Z1z)
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To: BenLurkin

“In this picture of the subatomic world, the photon isn’t necessarily a photon. Well, at least, it’s not always a photon. Particles like electrons and photons and all the other -ons continually flip back and forth, changing identities as they travel.”

I do not believe this to be a fully true state of affairs of nature.

What is missing is (a) in our actually limited understanding of these things (we know what we know which is very much less than knowing all there is to know about them), we (b) have designed our means of detecting such things with our limited knowledge inherently limiting our detection abilities and with results biased to our limitations.

In time we may eventually have means of observing photons in a manner in which we finally see that what have appeared as changes to us, were not changes in the true nature of photons at all. A piece of equipment inadequately designed to recognize a photon non-stop continuously in all its ways, cannot see that nothing has changed - it is simply not in the same limited range of observation as when initially observed.

We “see” the appearance of things because our “sight” is limited.


25 posted on 04/25/2019 10:31:31 AM PDT by Wuli
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To: BenLurkin

Physicists wrong again, yet will still expect to be worshipped as infallible demigods.

Remember this the next time that smarmy Tyson shows his arrogant mug.


26 posted on 04/25/2019 10:34:20 AM PDT by Seruzawa (TANSTAAFL!)
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To: Seruzawa

Neil deGrasse Tyson occupies the Nye Quadrant.


27 posted on 04/25/2019 10:42:38 AM PDT by Lonesome in Massachussets (Schumer delenda est.)
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To: Seruzawa

https://judithcurry.com/2017/05/02/nyes-quadrant/

Scroll down, for the line:

And then there is Neil DeGrasse Tyson (sorry Neil, you don’t get a Quadrant named after you)

Neil Ty the scientism guy

https://mises.org/wire/neil-ty-scientism-guy


28 posted on 04/25/2019 10:48:23 AM PDT by Lonesome in Massachussets (Schumer delenda est.)
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To: BenLurkin

Insufficient information. We cannot evaluate this until we know the race, gender and sexual preferences of the researchers involved.


29 posted on 04/25/2019 10:48:35 AM PDT by sphinx
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To: BenLurkin

My brain hurts.


30 posted on 04/25/2019 11:11:42 AM PDT by fella ("As it was before Noah so shall it be again,")
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To: BenLurkin

a photon interacting with a positron or an electron (even though they are “virtual”) is the same as interacting with an actual photon?


31 posted on 04/25/2019 11:30:45 AM PDT by mjp ((pro-{God, reality, reason, egoism, individualism, natural rights, limited government, capitalism}))
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To: Telepathic Intruder
Did you guess the big announcement over the merger of neutron stars? That was almost as neat as the first gravity waves detected . Seeing as how LIGO gets one billion in funding I'm still a bit skeptical if they really did it. If it is a scam Virgo would have to be in the deal as well now.
32 posted on 04/25/2019 12:12:16 PM PDT by Nateman (If the left is not screaming, you are doing it wrong.)
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To: BenLurkin

How can we believe “Lie Science”.


33 posted on 04/25/2019 12:22:00 PM PDT by DungeonMaster (Prov 24: Do not fret because of evildoers. Do not associate with those given to change.)
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To: bk1000

no said proton would need an interactive course of possibilities before choosing to be an electron and gain entrance to said atom stop


34 posted on 04/25/2019 12:46:23 PM PDT by aces
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To: aces

Its not that kind of proton! ....not without dinner & drinks first! ...and a movie!


35 posted on 04/25/2019 12:51:36 PM PDT by Reily
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To: BenLurkin; 6SJ7; AdmSmith; AFPhys; Arkinsaw; allmost; aristotleman; autumnraine; bajabaja; ...
Thanks BenLurkin.

· String Theory Ping List ·
Halton Arp
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· View or Post in 'blog · post a topic · subscribe ·


36 posted on 04/25/2019 12:57:57 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: BenLurkin

Are they gay?


37 posted on 04/25/2019 12:59:14 PM PDT by BobL (I eat at McDonald's and shop at Walmart - I just don't tell anyone.)
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To: DungeonMaster

Totally 100% my typo. Ouch


38 posted on 04/25/2019 1:38:53 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: BenLurkin

In order to understand this wacky behavior, we need to expand our consciousness a little...

Okay, I think I get it but hand me the mushrooms anyway.


39 posted on 04/25/2019 1:42:32 PM PDT by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
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To: BenLurkin

Photons can self-identify as bi?

Will this queer crap never end?!?!


40 posted on 04/25/2019 2:50:37 PM PDT by polymuser (It is terrible to contemplate how few politicians are hanged today. - Chesterton)
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