Probably the closest thing we’ll ever have to Schrödinger’s cat shown both alive and death: A research team has managed to capture light as both a particle and a wave, the dual behavior lying at the foundation of Quantum mechanics –and which also opened that can of wormholes known as “the observer effect” as well as the “spooky action at a distance” Einstein dreaded so much –ironic, considering *he* was the one who first proposed the dual nature of electromagnetic radiation in the photoelectric effect.
“This experiment demonstrates that, for the first time ever, we can film quantum mechanics – and its paradoxical nature – directly,” says Fabrizio Carbone [head of the team at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne]. In addition, the importance of this pioneering work can extend beyond fundamental science and to future technologies. As Carbone explains: “Being able to image and control quantum phenomena at the nanometer scale like this opens up a new route towards quantum computing.”
Congrats on your future Nobel prize, signore Carbone –now about that UFO detecting machine I requested…
[LINK]: The first ever photograph of light as both a particle and wave
