Scientists Create New "Lightsaber-Like" Form of Matter

First time accepted submitter loftarasa writes "A group of scientists led by Harvard Professor of Physics Mikhail Lukin and MIT Professor of Physics Vladan Vuletic have developed a form of matter by binding massless photons together in a special kind of medium to create 'photonic molecules', effectively bringing us a bit closer to a world with lightsabers. 'The discovery, Lukin said, runs contrary to decades of accepted wisdom about the nature of light. Photons have long been described as massless particles which don't interact with each other – shine two laser beams at each other, he said, and they simply pass through one another. "Photonic molecules," however, behave less like traditional lasers and more like something you might find in science fiction – the light saber.' The work is described in Nature (paywalled)."

Comments

Do we really want light sabres in untrained hands?

[Anonymous Coward]

Street justice can get pretty rough.

Use the force, Lukin

[ciaohound]

Oh yeah.

You know that if they actually ever do make one...

[mark-t]

....... the number of accidental amputees is going to skyrocket.

Re:You know that if they actually ever do make one

[chromas]

That's right...'accidental'.

Re:Unfortunately, you need real molecules to do th

[ColdWetDog]

These are not the photons you are looking for.....

Re:STEVEN SPIELBERG HERE !!

[Anonymous Coward]

Use the force Harry!

-Gandalf