Scientists have recently discovered a new way light can exist: in two distinct halves at once. Dubbed “Majorana Bosons”, the new particles may revolutionize our understanding of light, as well as bring attention back to important theories of the past.
What Exactly Was Discovered?
There was no actual observation of any new phenemenon or particle. Instead, this discovery took the form of a new idea, a new “state” of light. Instead of typical singular photon particles, this new state of light would consist of two halves. This study introduced this radical idea, as well as how this special case would occur in the real world. According to Vincent Flynn, one of the scientists in responsible for this discovery, “We were able to identify conditions for isolating these halves from one another.”(qtd. in “Discovery of ‘split’ photon provides a new way to see light”).
Majorana Bosons?
Particles of light in this special state are called majorana bosons. Bosons are force carrying particles(as opposed to fermions, which are particles that make up matter). Bosons include the photon(electromagnetic force), the gluon(strong force), the W boson(weak force), the Z boson(weak force), and the higgs boson(higgs field). The “boson” part of “Majorana Boson” is just communicating the fact that the particle is one of these particles, responsible for force instead of matter.
The “Majorana” part of “Majorana Boson” originates from its use in a different but similar theoretical particle called the majorana fermions. These particles were dreamed up by a physicist named “Ettore Majorana”. He hypothesized that there could be particles that were their own antiparticle counterparts, and called those particles “majorana fermions”. The property of the particle to be its own counterpart and therefore function in pairs is what is being referenced in the “Majorana” part of “Majorana boson”.
Why Does This Matter and How Does This Affect Me?
At the most direct and basic level, this gives scientists a completely new way to think of light. Any radical change in thinking is bound to result in scientific developments later on.
The immediate application of these concepts would be in the development of better insulators(in the field of topological photonics). The unique properties of the Majorana Bosons could help scientists create new ways to control the flow or lack of flow of electrons on a surface.
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