Can a laser beam interact with empty space? Can light deflect itself? These aren't science fiction concepts, but real quantum effects that scientists are now modeling with incredible precision.
British physicists have developed an algorithm capable of calculating how high-energy photons interact with virtual particles in a vacuum. These particles, governed by the laws of quantum mechanics, constantly appear and disappear, effectively creating a sea of activity.
The created simulator can predict complex effects that arise when light passes through crystals and areas with strong magnetic fields. The algorithm is built into the OSIRIS software package, which is widely used in modeling high-power lasers.
This research is not just theoretical. These calculations are becoming the basis for the development of high-power lasers in the next decade and will help to study quantum effects that have previously only been guessed at.
"These calculations are important not only from an academic point of view, but also because they can help to experimentally confirm quantum effects that we have only been able to guess at until now," says Professor Peter Norreys of Oxford University.
It turns out that the behavior of light in a vacuum is far from straightforward. At high energies, exotic effects begin to appear: photons can scatter off "unseen" objects, deviate from their course, and even interact with each other. This creates problems, but also gives scientists a chance to make new discoveries, such as the creation of positrons and other antimatter particles.
"Our algorithm has opened a window into the quantum world of the vacuum. We have been able to model all the key phenomena that occur when laser beams collide in a crystal. This is the beginning of the path to understanding even more complex structures inside the light itself," notes scientist John Zyskin from Oxford.
Vacuum (from the Latin vacuum - empty) is a space free of matter. In technology and applied physics, a medium is meant to be at a pressure significantly lower than atmospheric.