Updated
Updated · Livescience.com · Jun 20
Physicists Simulate Splitting 1 Photon, Finding Outcomes From 0 to Infinite Particles
Updated
Updated · Livescience.com · Jun 20

Physicists Simulate Splitting 1 Photon, Finding Outcomes From 0 to Infinite Particles

3 articles · Updated · Livescience.com · Jun 20

Summary

  • A new physics experiment modeled a shutter slicing a single photon and found the result could be zero, one or an effectively infinite number of photons.
  • The spread of outcomes depended on how quickly the shutter cut the photon, with each timing producing different probabilities for the particle states.
  • Researchers say the behavior was unexpected and could reshape how physicists think about the nature and behavior of fundamental light particles.

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