Scientists Freeze Pulse of Light, for An

AP via Excite News ^ | Dec 10, 1:02 PM (ET) | RICK CALLAHAN

[leadpencil1]

Scientists Freeze Pulse of Light, for An

Physicists say they have brought light to a complete halt for a fraction of a second and then sent it on its way, an achievement that could someday help scientists develop powerful new computers.

The research differs from work published in 2001 that was hailed at the time as having brought light to standstill. In that work, light pulses were technically "stored" briefly when individual particles of light, or photons, were taken up by atoms in a gas.

Harvard University researchers have now topped that feat by truly holding light and its energy in its tracks - if only for a few hundred-thousandths of a second. "We have succeeded in holding a light pulse still without taking all the energy away from it," said Mikhail D. Lukin, a Harvard physicist.

Harnessing light particles to store and process data could aid the still distant goal of so-called quantum computers, as well as methods for communicating information over long distances without risk of eavesdropping.

The research may also have applications for improving conventional fiber-optic communications and data processing techniques that use light as an information carrier. Lukin said the present research is just another step toward efforts to control light, but said additional work is needed to determine if it can aid these applications.

The findings appear in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.

Stanford University physicist Stephen Harris said the new research is promising and represents an important scientific first.

Matthew Bigelow, a scientist at the University of Rochester involved in light research, called the new study "very clever" and something that may ultimately spur the development of superior light-based computers. "I think it's moving us in the right direction," he said.

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On the Net:

Nature: http://www.nature.com

Mikhail Lukin's laboratory: http://qoptics.physics.harvard.edu

[Prof Engineer]

But who is An?

Spock's uncle.

[bangor505]

"If it does, I'd like to use it in the near future."

TO THE DeLOREAN, MARTY!!!

I believe that it's called the Flux Capacitor

[Libertarianize the GOP]

ping

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Did they use a picture of Helen Thomas to stop it?

[commish]

SO what ..I've been stopping light for years. It is called the OFF switch ;-) hehehehe

[kjam22]

Does this suggest we can stop time?

No, just that we can darken the future.

[B4Ranch]

I think the journalist meant angstrom. One angstrom equals .00000001 cm, a very tiny length. That means that visible light may have a wavelength of 4,000 angstroms or about .00004 cm.

[JoeSixPack1]

Being that computer binary are 0 & 1, and a computer's most basic function is off & on to make binary calculations, the ability to freeze light has just boosted 0 & 1 computations into light speed.

[My2Cents]

But who is An?

The Egyptian god of light, no doubt. I think I saw him referred to on an episode of "Stargate SG-1".

[My2Cents]

Mr. Freeze at work in his laboratory --

[Dog Anchor]

Did they use a picture of Helen Thomas to stop it?

NOW THAT'S FUNNY. . .

[My2Cents]

Helen Thomas causes mirrors to break, and fruit to spoil, not light to stop.

[My2Cents]

ROFL!!!...Very good.

[My2Cents]

Holy Carp! Imagine how many tunes one could download with a process running a warp speed!

[JoeSixPack1]

That's a whole lotta computin goin' on dar!!

[jimt]

Being that computer binary are 0 & 1, and a computer's most basic function is off & on to make binary calculations, the ability to freeze light has just boosted 0 & 1 computations into light speed.

Electricity travels at pretty close to light speed. The advantage here is getting rid of most of the heat generated by electronic widgets.

[sandydipper]

How about a photon pulse motor?

[JoeSixPack1]

"We have succeeded in holding a light pulse still without taking all the energy away from it,"..

Electrical travel is capped by ohm-age. Will abbreviated light impulses have such a cap when encased in a microscopic arena?

[Coffee_drinker]

MORE POWER SCOTTY!!!

[PatrickHenry]

PING. [This ping list is for the evolution side of evolution threads, and sometimes for other science topics. FReepmail me to be added or dropped.]