An illustration conveying the idea of a space-based quantum internet, which would seem, like the hypothetical particle of a tachyon, to outpace light. An illustration ...

Quick, pick a side: Is light a wave or a particle? This question is best known for its power to set crowds of undergraduates a-tittering. But it’s more than a pop science brain-teaser. Scott Holmstrom ...

Shini introduces the idea of Quantum Mechanics and how it helps us understand light. What is light? That is something that has plagued scientists for centuries. It behaves light a wave... and a ...

Ever since Democritus – a Greek philosopher who lived between the 5th and 4th century's BCE – argued that all of existence was made up of tiny indivisible atoms, scientists have been speculating as to ...

Does light behave more like a particle, or like a wave? Today we know the surprising answer. Here's why it took so long to get there. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an ...

The constancy of the speed of light is a pillar of modern physics, but questions persist about its absolute universality.

The speed of light is constant, or so textbooks say. But some scientists are exploring the possibility that this cosmic speed limit changes, a consequence of the nature of the vacuum of space. The ...

One hundred years ago today, Albert Einstein finished a scientific paper that would change the world. His radical insight into the nature of light would help transform Einstein from an unknown patent ...

In physics, particles are small localized objects with physical characteristics like mass or volume. From those humble ingredients, our virtually limitless universe is built. The concept, presented in ...

Figure 1: The Ancient of Days painted by William Blake. Modern physics teaches that light has wave as well as particle properties. But one of the most basic differences between the wave and particle ...

Using a precisely aligned pair of laser beams, scientists can now hold a single aerosol particle in place and monitor how it charges up. The particle’s glow signals each step in its changing ...