Making Light (More) Solid

quant-guru writes "Man's domination of light continues. New Scientist is running a story that highlights recent theoretical proposals for a photonic insulator, an engineered material that could make photons solidify. From the article: "OK, it wouldn't be a material in the everyday sense of the word, like a solid you could touch, but it could behave like one in some important ways...photons interacting in a quantum material could give us insights into how real materials with quantum properties work." One proposal by Greetree et al. (Nature Physics) (preprint) imagines a device that will allow many photons to interact with each other simultaneously in diamond, with phases reminiscent of real materials (from superfluid to insulating). This could lead to novel devices based on quantum phenomena, for quantum communication or quantum computers as examples. Similar proposals were made concurrently by two other groups: Angelakis et al. and Hartmann et al. (Nature Physics) (preprint). University of Cambridge physicist Charlie Tahan has more information and links (with step-by-step pictures) on his site."

Comments

Great

[Timesprout]

As if the sun didn't beat down hard enough on us already....

Commercial opportunity

[lastninja]

There are a lot of geeks who would want their own lightsaber

Lightsabers?

[Wizard Drongo]

Cool, but how will they shoehorn this into the lightsaber along with a suitable power supply? Could be kinda useful for holograms. If they could make so you could touch it, Holosex here we come.....

wow

[mastershake_phd]

Ray guns? Light bombs? Light batteries?This discovery could be very enlightening.

Skiffy?

[Quiet_Desperation]

They're treading dangerously into Piers Anthony territory here, and should back off a bit to the David Brin zone.

Horrible pickup line

[Watson Ladd]

Did you know that by Heisenburg's uncertianty principle you are already in my pants?