Light Stopped, Held And Re-emitted By A Crystal 366
nherc writes: "An article in Nature talks about an incredible new crystal that can actual stop and hold light to be later emitted. It's mentioned light has previously been "slowed" by super cooled gases, but this certainly blows that away. They mention this could be a major step towards quantum computing."
Magical Crystal = Glow In The Dark Stuff? (Score:2, Redundant)
Re:Magical Crystal = Glow In The Dark Stuff? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Magical Crystal = Glow In The Dark Stuff? (Score:2, Insightful)
Well, no. It's hard to tell from the lack of detail in the Nature article, but from it's description, it sounds like this material can be made to absorb light, and somehow another laser is later used to extract it. (Same wavelength and phase?) It's not like there are photons standing still somewhere.
Re:Magical Crystal = Glow In The Dark Stuff? (Score:2)
Re:Magical Crystal = Glow In The Dark Stuff? (Score:2)
These guys actually brought light to a hault
Um.. you are wrong, so I'll correct you. Glow in the dark [wisc.edu] stuff glows because its electrons are easy to bump into higher orbitals (by absorbing photons), then slowly come back down (by emitting other photons).
These guys have a special supercooled substance that -- guess what -- absorbs photons into electron orbitals, then emits other photons! It's the same damn thing, except that in this case the photons coming out are the same color and have the same direction as the ones that went in.
Re:Really? (Score:2)
It'd probably violate the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle.
If you preserved direction while completely stopping a photon for as long as you wanted, you'd arbitrarily decrease its momentum scalar (you choose the speed of light and therefore introduce real time to a timeless particle). You'd also have all the time in the world to measure its original direction with arbitrary precision (just fire your original photon from a huge distance), and to pinpoint the location of its future emission.
Too much knowledge about both a photon's momentum vector and location = too much knowledge, according to Heisenberg.
But I'm speaking out of pure intuition and not any real physics knowledge, so don't take my word for it.
Re:Magical Crystal = Glow In The Dark Stuff? (Score:3, Insightful)
The article seems a bit sketchy and makes a connection that I don't think is 100% valid, how can this possibly relate to quantum computing? This has nothing to do with electron spin. It has alot to do with trapping photons, then later releasing them by exciting the atoms.
My guess is that the fundamental difference is the wavelength of the light emitted when it is released is the same as the wavelength of the light that was stored in the crystal.
Re:Magical Crystal = Glow In The Dark Stuff? (Score:5, Informative)
From http://www.sciam.com/2001/0701issue/0701hau.html [sciam.com]
"Another application for slow and stopped light could be quantum computers, in which the usual definite 1's and 0's are replaced with quantum superpositions of 1's and 0's called qubits. Such computers, if they can be built, would be able to solve certain problems that would take an ordinary computer an enormously long time. Two broad categories of qubits exist: those that stay in one place and interact with one another readily (such as quantum states of atoms) and those that travel rapidly from place to place (photons) but are difficult to make interact in the ways needed in a quantum computer. The slow-light system, by transforming flying photons into stationary dark state patterns and back, provides a robust way to convert between these types of qubits, a process that could be essential for building large-scale quantum computers. We can imagine imprinting two pulses in the same atom cloud, allowing the atoms to interact, and then reading out the result by generating new output light pulses."
Re:Magical Crystal = Glow In The Dark Stuff? (Score:4, Informative)
Based on the article, it appears more like the complete energy from the photons is absorbed by the atoms. The photons can then be emitted later by changing the intensity of the laser that is causing the atoms to hold onto it. I don't see this as really trapping light. It looks more to me like the energy from the "holding laser" plus the energy from the photons manages to push the electrons to a higher valence level and leave them there, even when the incoming photon supply is turned off. Then I would suspect that lowering the intensity of the holding laser would allow the electrons to drop to a less excited state and thus release the energy in the form of photons. It really sounds just like a fluorescent light except that you now have control over when the photons are actually generated by the excited atoms.
Feel free to correct me vigorously. I haven't thought about this kind of stuff in earnest for more than 15 years.
Re:Magical Crystal = Glow In The Dark Stuff? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Magical Crystal = Glow In The Dark Stuff? (Score:2)
OK,
- B
Re:Magical Crystal = Glow In The Dark Stuff? (Score:2)
I'm not sure why you got voted funny, but basically, you're right. From the article:
A light pulse that is brought to a standstill is not destroyed. The atoms 'remember' it, so the pulse can be regenerated by changing the intensity of the coupling laser to allow the atoms to re-emit photons - the particles of which light is composed.
That's pretty clear, if you understand that "light pulse" isn't quite the same as "light" or "photon." This is, of course, a tremendous scientific and technological accomplishment. In terms of basic physics, though, it's roughly similar to glow-in-the-dark paint, or the behavior of a neon or fluorescent bulb, for that matter. The photon is destroyed, but I presume the amplitudes of the atom get stuck in a state where they are exactly the same as if they were entangled with a photon just like it. So, when you fire a laser into it, you get a result that is exactly the same as if you fired a laser at the atom when the original photon was coming at it, and the interference between the amplitude of the laser and that of the atom therefore produces an amplitude just like the one of the original photon, so you see it. Really, really cool trick, but the trickiness is getting the amplitudes stuck in such a way that they keep so much information, not really in stopping light.
Nope - glow stuff doesn't 'hold light' (Score:2)
Glow in the dark stuff is made up of phosphors - similar material as what's in your CRT monitor. Phosphors emit visible light when excited.
The phosphors in your monitor are delicately excited by the electron gun in the back. The phosphors in glow in the dark stuff are excited en masse by normal light.
See How Stuff Works [howstuffworks.com] for more details.
J.J.
whats next (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:whats next (Score:2, Interesting)
Does anyone know how long the crystal is able to hold this energy/information and/or what kind of energy is required to perform this experiment? It does not say it in this article, and I dont recall it being mentioned in the SciAm article (although that was quite a while ago that I read it).
Re:whats next (Score:2)
What a brilliant idea Slow Glass was, dontchathink?
constant speed of light (Score:5, Funny)
No, really, I know light speed changes. c is just for light in a vacuum... This is really neat stuff, and I hope this becomes a leap forward in understanding quantum mechanics.
Light speed doesn't change (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Light speed doesn't change (Score:2)
I know it's a strange question, but I'm not trolling, I'm just genuinely curious.
Re:Light speed doesn't change (Score:2)
That's a bit of a harsh overstatement, or perhaps a misstatement.
It would be more accurate to say that waves or particles are fairly irrelevant and incorrect descriptions of what an electron (or anything on that scale) actually "is," HOWEVER are very good descriptors of its behaviour in different cases or equations.
Re:Light speed doesn't change (Score:2)
I think that there may be a problem with this idea. I vaguely remember from E&M (that's electricity and magnetism, for you non-EE's) class that the speed of light in a medium depends upon its dielectric constant. Vacuum had the ``fastest'' dielectric constant, thus c is the upper limit. It was the change of speed which caused the refraction when light moves from one medium to another.
I'm quite sure that I remember from antennas lab that the speed with which electric, magnetic and electro-magnetic waves propagated depended upon the sort of coax or wave guide you were running them in. There couldn't be any question of photon absorption there, could there?
Another post also says that the re-emitted photon has random direction, which seems an insurmountable difficulty.
Nope (Score:2)
Light can be thought of as the propagation of transverse electric and magnetic fields (centered on the photon). As they move through a material the travelling fields cause electrons (and atoms) to vibrate in response for a short period of time. However, the material has an inertia and the acceleration of charged particles generates a counter impulse of electric and magnetic fields. The response has exactly the right characteristics to impede the motion of the light's field, but typically at much lesser amplitude. The difference in magnitude of the response explains why light is typically slowed and not stopped.
Oh, and in the case in question, they are presumably converting the energy of the photon into a vibrational excitation within the material rather than an excited electronic configuration.
The Previously Mentioned Method (Score:3, Informative)
Light was then shined through this pathway, then the laser was cut, "trapping" the light in the gas. What actually happened was that this left an "imprint" in the cooled gas, and when the laser was beamed through the gas again, the imprint of light activated and the beam of light continued.
There was a serious issue with degradation though. The longer the light was trapped in the gas, the poorer the quality the beam of light was when it was reanimated.
Seems like this new method has improved immensely upon that weakness.
Re:The Previously Mentioned Method (Score:2)
What I can't figure out is what they're really doing. Without the 2nd laser, the effect doesn't occur. Therefore, are they doing some sort of destructive interference, rather than "storing" light? Or, are they using the 2nd laser to tune the yttrium silicate+Nd atoms to "accept" extra light energy without releasing it? Normally you put that much extra energy into an atom, and it will try to release that energy to get back to ground state. The energy can be released as heat, light, or kinetic energy. I wonder how hot the crystal gets while its holding the light? Also, they don't say what the quantum yield is of the light after release. I'm guessing it must be high, otherwise they wouldn't be promoting this.
Re:The Previously Mentioned Method (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:The Previously Mentioned Method (Score:2)
My impression from the Scientific American article a couple months back was that the 2nd laser allowed the ultracold sodium gas atoms to convert the photon to a wobble in the spin rather than raising electrons to higher energy levels. This spin wobble then traveled as a wave through the gas. When the second laser was shut off, the spin no longer traveled, and was kept in place. After the second laser was turned back on, the wave traveled again. Only once the wave exited the gas, was it reconverted to a photon.
However, I don't know whether or not they are using a similiar method for the solid crystal, or whether I got the wrong impression at all from the first article. As I said, I am not a quantum physicist.
The Crystal of Earendil? (Score:5, Funny)
Colin Winters
...who thinks Galadriel is hot...
War with the Elves? Suicide! (Score:5, Funny)
Futhermore, the peaceniks would have a field day with this - I doubt the Elf War would be very popular on the home front. It would take a really strong president to overcome this...
Vote Sauron in 2004!
(This post was a paid message from the Committe to Elect Sauron, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to America's future as the stronghold of the Dark Lord.)
Re:War with the Elves? Suicide! (Score:2)
Oh no, not at all (Score:2)
Re:Oh no, not at all (Score:2)
Feanor and the Silmarils (Score:2, Funny)
but were afraid that were going to have to let you go for your attitude unless you come off of the Silmarils." Feanor replied, "Fine, then let me go." The gods then said, "We'll also make sure that you never work in this town again." Feanor laughed, " Good I don't want to work here anyways." The gods then left Feanor with a final admoninition, " Oh yeah, well see about that! Who will pay you more than we did for the kind of work you do here? You'll really miss the paycheck if nothing else about this job." Feanor was silent; yes he would miss the paycheck, but the Silmarils were worth it!
Re:The Crystal of Earendil? (Score:2)
.
The reason it's old news (Score:5, Funny)
Bob Shaw (Score:2, Informative)
TWW
Re:Bob Shaw (Score:2)
http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/classics/classi
At long last, no more Dark Crystal (Score:3, Funny)
:-)
Is it just me... (Score:5, Funny)
TheFrood
This page . . . (Score:5, Informative)
helps to explain [aip.org] how they're achieving this with a graphic representation. Still a little technical for me, but it kinda makes sense.
Needs a better name... (Score:3, Funny)
They need a catchy marketing name... Something like DyLithium Crystals.
ionization? orbitals? (Score:2)
They 'shackle' the light pulse to an atom so that it can be released later, and all it's "energy is transferred to the electron."?
I thought that could only be done by: causing an electron to jump to a higher orbital (thus higher energy), or adding another electron through ionization.
So can they boost an atom to a higher orbital without filling the lower orbitals? Like bumping an S-1 up to a P-2 or something? Maybe you compare what the energy level is as opposed to what it should be (e.g. three orbitals above normal) and that represents the data (plus spin, too?)
Gee, it's fun to speculate when ZERO DETAILS are given in the article.
Re:ionization? orbitals? (Score:2)
I agree most of all with the speculation bit. I do not see how this will open up quantum computing. Unless they can show that the stored light energy causes energy states of the atoms to entangle and become coherent, thus doing calculations based on the coherence or lack of coherence of the energy states/orbitals, I fail to see how this sort of energy storage is the breakthrough on the way to quantum computing.
Power Industry? (Score:3, Interesting)
My understanding of optics is rather lacking... something is nagging at the back of my mind telling me that this wouldn't work...
Re:Power Industry? (Score:2)
I actually don't think so. It looks like this process requires a coupling laser. If you change that laser, you can retrieve the earlier packets of light. So unless you're willing to shoot a laser at your solar panel, this method really wouldn't work. There's also all that extra energy you need because of the coupling laser. With this particular process, you probably wouldn't see any increase in efficiency. You're better off with better materials for your solar panels.
DS Theory (Score:2, Funny)
MOD THE PARENT UP (Score:2)
What ever happened to the old idea of "Computer programmers can make viruses, but choose not to". We need to quit making these people celbrities and start going back to the old hacker code of ethics.
So read the link and mod the parent up.
Signed AC because it's more fun ...
Re:MOD THE PARENT UP (Score:2)
No *real* halting involved (Score:2)
Specifically, "stopping light" has nothing to do with it, though that is what the media in my country keeps calling it.
Re:No *real* halting involved (Score:2)
Hmm...slow glass anyone? (Score:2)
Re:Hmm...slow glass anyone? (Score:3, Interesting)
These 'slow glasses' were put close to beautiful spots and left there to soak up the imagery, then you could buy them and put them in your living room and see what they saw for a few years (wouldn't it be way cool to have a huge 'picture window' of a waterfall that freezes in winter etc.)
IIRC the story ended with the character noticing that the artisan had some glasses of his family when his wife was still alive.
Does anybody remember the title/author of this story?
Re:Hmm...slow glass anyone? (Score:2, Informative)
Bob Shaw's "Slow Glass", and other authors... (Score:2)
There was also the short story (probably published in F&SF magazine?) where the local bordello went out of business, and everybody bid up the mirrors to amazing prices after hearing a rumor of 'slow glass' type image extraction from antique mirrors...
Network delay generators (Score:2)
- An electronic delay generator that simply buffers packets;
- Fiber loops.
Fiber loops are better (they introduce no jitter [internet2.edu]), but more expensive and cumbersome. Maybe in a few years you'll be able to get a short strip of fiber that'll generate tens of milliseconds of delay.I wonder whether there's any signal degradation in the light that passes through the crystal.
Holographic Buffer (Score:5, Informative)
Perhaps some of the enlightened
In optoelectronic computing systems and quantum computing systems the ability to store photons and photon signals is tantamount to the realization of full scale optoectronic (and quantum-based) computing.
I digress. This is awesome and I am very enthusiastic. Once again, it doesn't stop light, bend time, slow light, warp space or anything else like it. And it doesn't glow in the dark. It's like a single-channel holographic buffer and it is absolutely wonderful!
Vortan out
Re:Holographic Buffer (Score:3, Funny)
"Coherent light... you mean it can talk." - Mr. Taylor Real Genium
Re:Holographic Buffer (Score:2)
For the sake of argument (and avoiding wave theory discussion) let's assume that photons and electrons are 100% interchangable. In this case our "light" will be an electron which just happens to be orbiting the nucleus of an atom.
The closest experiment that I am aware of that approaches "stopping light" in this fashion is called 'Bose condensation' where isolated atoms are super-cooled with lasers. AFAIK, complete cessation of kinetic activity at the atomic level has not been achieved. However I believe we've come really close... in the 21st century.
Vortran out
How did the material change? (Score:2)
I'm guessing if it were heavier, the difference would be far too small to measure?
And what of Quantum Encryption... (Score:2, Interesting)
I'm old, my brain is addled, but being able to stop light, or its immediate emission, has to have counter intelligence uses.
Amazing New Material (Score:5, Funny)
Amazing New Material! Stores Light!!!
Buy our amazing new Oak Light Trees (TM) today. So attractive, so easy to use. Just follow these simple instructions:
1. Put Oak Light Trees (TM) in ground.
2. In most climates, do nothing for 5-100 years or more depending on how much light you need and when. In some climates, you may need to water the ground in the viscinity of the Oak Light Tree (TM).
3. Cut the base of the Oak Light Tree (TM) with a chain saw or axe, or simply have someone knock it over with a bulldozer, then cut into smaller pieces.
4. Allow to dry for 1 year.
5. Light the smaller units of the Oak Light Tree (TM) with a match or lighter until they begin to emit light on their own. Add larger and larger pieces until the light is satisfying.
Amazing!!! And not only do they provide light, but heat as well. Buy today. Only $20/piece.
Whoa, embedded XP already out? (Score:2)
Blasters (Score:2)
Thus putting the massive equipment it takes to generate that laser energy in one place, charging a crystal, put it into my blaster clip, then fire it later?
Can I store light, then later release it into a solar collector or cell? if so this has great potential to be "the perfect" battery.
As I sit here typing, I have about100 other ways this could be used. Time to fire up the ol' patent lawyer!
Quantum Entanglement Stopper? (Score:2, Interesting)
A little simpler: a) Quantum entangle the Rb particles (or some of them) with those at a distance. Observe spin.
b) perform this experiment (the one used to "store" light).
c) Observe the spin of the remote particles.
Any change? This would further explain the effects of Quantum Entanglement because not only would the spin of those particles not included in the experiment theoretically change, but one would know it wasn't a change caused by observation alone.
Re:Quantum Entanglement Stopper? (Score:2, Interesting)
The important question is... (Score:2, Interesting)
ralativity (Score:2)
Will the proton decay?
If light is an effect of another dimension, does the other dimension feel any effect when we stop light?
Man I need to find a physist (Score:2)
c is now 0 for this light particle
e=m02
e=m0
e=0
if there is no e, then how do they expect it to "represent" a bit of information?
Re:Man I need to find a physist (Score:2)
Pretty much, light is the switch for this bit, instead of an electrical pulse.
Where the paticle is trapping light, it exists in a "0" state according to your equation. (I'd say that while it traps light it exists as a 1 state, simply because it's obviously holding something, but we'll go from your equations.)
Therefore, where C' = C, the actual speed of light, your crystal would have a "1" state, where it had energy.
Binary represntations right there - just what computers use now.
I'd switch the definitions if I were you, but logic gates could be constructed either way I'm sure.
Re:Man I need to find a physist (Score:3, Funny)
don't worry, your universe isn't going to explode.
not yet.
What about trapping light in gravitational orbit? (Score:2)
Is it possible? Can you calculate and model such a thing?
Anybody else... (Score:2)
A light pulse that is brought to a standstill is not destroyed. The atoms 'remember' it, so the pulse can be regenerated by changing the intensity of the coupling laser to allow the atoms to re-emit photons - the particles of which light is composed.
This sounds like it came straight out of the a Star Wars technical manual! Maybe when Star Wars Ep III comes out, Lucas will be able make his billions by packaging a tiny lightsaber in every happy meal.
Speeding it up, slowing it down... (Score:2)
Actually, I noticed someone earlier [above] saying that the light somewhat went 'back in time'.
This is nothing new as it's be a theory for years that particles move back in time for a moment.
Read more here [stanford.edu] if you want more info.
It's actually a mind bender, but I haven't read the page above. Another source would be a book called "In Search of Schrodinger's Cat?" [google.com]. A review here. [cix.co.uk]
Other than the Discovery channel crap I studied no Q. Physics. That book was an easy read for anyone who's taken algebra, and I finished it in less than a month. [not bad, I read it when I took a shit... you know]
Quantum computing? (Score:3, Interesting)
This sounds almost exactly like an optical transistor, except that a transistor actually is an amplifier.
To make it more like a transistor, imagine a 2 part crystal; part A is continually primed to be discharged, laser like. Part B is the light capturing component. A 'gate' laser turns B on and off, an input laser is the signal, and the lazed output is the output.
Quantum computing and quantum mechanics deals with superposition and tunneling, to my understanding, so unless they can feed in 4 inputs, freeze the crystal, and then get one 'correct' output when they unfreeze it, I fail to see how this is quantum.
Given that I described a transistor, I can see this as being critical to an optical computer
Source = input
Gate = freezing laser
Drain = output
You can make an optical and gate this way:
Combine input A and B into one beam. If they are in phase (both true) their output signal amplitude doubles. If they are out of phase (one true, one false) their output amplitude is zero. Pass this combined signal through two crystals.
Pass a *second* 'clock' signal as well that happens to be out of phase and half the amplitude of a true signal. The first crystal fires true when the clock and input signal cancel to produce a '1'. The second crystal fires false when the clock and the input signal combine to produce a '-1'
Re:Quantum computing? (Score:2)
cloaking device? (Score:2, Funny)
MPAA ban light research. (Score:3, Funny)
This could be useful! (Score:2)
Heck, even if they could make it delay only a few seconds it'd make a cool effect!
Portable Quantum Cryptography (Score:2, Interesting)
Some of you may remember that uncrackable quantum encryption [slashdot.org] can be created by using a pair of photons. The problem is that the transmitter and receiver would have to be line of sight, or possibly over fiber. I wonder if two of these crystals can be used to trap the photons individually for later analysis.. Don't know if the process of entrapment within the crystal will destroy the quantum effect that makes this sort of crptography possible, IANAQP....
-fc
Just a thought... (Score:2, Interesting)
If they could store light in a medium, in this case the yttrium silicate crystal, then one other property of light being that it is infinitely compressable, does that mean that we can use that same crystal as a battery that we could charge an infinite amount of energy into? Think laptop battary with the life of 1 year. (Or if the crystal becomes unstable at one point because of the amount of energy in it, make a bomb that releses pure energy and leaves no trace of itself?)
I want to start a crusade to stop pseudoscience (Score:2)
Heisenberg's Principle Implications (Score:2, Interesting)
I'm not a physicist or anything I just have a high school physics backgrounds, and I'm just wondering.
This technology has been used for years. (Score:2)
It's old. 'Crystal Matrix' technology has been used successfully in real military data and power applications for at least a decade. -That's 'real military' as opposed to the highschool production version of it currently unfolding in the Middle East.
From my perspective, I see one aspect of it working like this:
Get everybody addicted to data technology. --Almost done. Note the introduction of the Euro, ("Citizens: To avoid confusion, try to only use credit and debit cards. Thank you. -Yours truly, The New Europe.") and the ever-growing specter of bio-metrics. (Down at my local business supplies warehouse outlet, you can already buy thumb print readers designed to lock all but 'favored users' out of computers or whatever.)
For those of you who don't see why this is bad, consider how much fun it would be to have yourself locked out of the economy for having dissident political views. --Or for failing to pay a traffic ticket. You only get to buy bread if you heartily agree that Arabs are evil. Mm. Fun!
After we spend the next few years allowing this paradigm to settle into place, new computer systems will be introduced which EVERYBODY must upgrade to, and which industry/government will be able to design from the ground up with the objective of making it impossible to flip on your computer without the goons being able to look over your shoulder. -That 'Encrypting Hard Drives' thing from last year? A dry run in order to learn the proper P.R. population handling techniques. They won't screw it up twice, and it's the second time that will count.
Whatever. It's just an elaborate show. Nothing to be scared of. Sit back and enjoy.
As such, being a lover of geek toys, my favorite part about Crystal Matrix technology is its ability to store industrial strength power in very small batteries. --Military vehicles powered by batteries the size of cigarette packs. Neat stuff. Old, but neat.
-Fantastic Lad --"He's just making it up, right guys? He's just crazy, right? Guys. . ?"
We've already used things that store light (Score:2)
Re:It's been done. (Score:2)
Re:It's been done. (Score:3, Interesting)
Now you're freezin' with "gas" (but not gas) (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Which version of the Pentium (Score:3, Funny)
I bet it's the "Quantuim" :)
And the AMD response... (Score:2)
Re:Which version of the Pentium (Score:5, Funny)
Re:gee, wow..... (Score:2)
Re:gee, wow..... (Score:2)
Re:I'm lost... (Score:2)
Re:I'm lost... (Score:2)
The speed of light (c) is a very real limitation in the universe, and is *directly* relational to T
Travelling faster than the speed of light away from a given event, yes, would seem to lead you to a place in space where that event had not yet taken place. You are outside the space-time cone of the event.
However.. travelling faster than c WOULD mean you were travelling backwards in time.. at least as far as the math goes.. I'm not sure where you learned that it wouldn't be so. That being said:
You *CANT* travel faster than the speed of light away from the event. It's not just a speed; it's an absolute. c is NOT just 'the speed of light 'particles' in vacuum'. It's the fastest any effect can propagate through the universe; it's *directly* related to Time.
It's *not* the same as the sound barrier. Yes, you may hear an event later, but as with the case of a sniper rifle bullet, you may be dead before the sound reaches you.
You seem to be describing light as an aboslute speed in a newtownian universe. This is not the case.
Space and Time (and hence, speed) are completely intertwined.
Light goes at c (Score:5, Interesting)
A lot of people have been saying that light only goes at c in a vacuum. This isn't quite right.
Light goes always at c, period. When it goes through a solid, a better metaphor is that it has to slalom around the atoms in the solid. Of course due to QM it's really more like that Charles Addams cartoon with a ski track leading up to a tree, splitting around, and continuing on. At this point, classical approximations stop making sense, and you have to start talking about amplitudes. You can get the Feynman New Zealand videotapes here [amazon.com]. It's an excellent but basic and easily understandable introduction to quantum electrodynamics.
In any event, this doesn't seem to be the same mechanism (unless the amplitudes get stuck as if the photon were going in a loop). It appears to be a similar mechanism, as pointed out elsewhere, to glow-in-the-dark paint. Terribly exciting, but not foundation-shattering, unfortunately. It would be a lot of fun if it were.
Another minor wrinkle is that c is very slightly faster than the speed of light in a vacuum, because a vacuum isn't quite empty. Particles come into the vacuum and immediately annihilated each other all the time. You can theoretically get rid of these by putting a vacuum between two plates so close together that these virtual particles can't form.
Re:Light goes at c (Score:2)
Re:Light goes at c (Score:2)
Re:Light goes at c (Score:2)
PS. No it's not like the paint. That's a chemical change. This transforms the photon into a vibrational exictation that preserves the entire quantum state.
The second laser IS turned off (Score:2, Informative)
When the 'material' is beamed with the second laser, it makes the material 'liquid'-like to light, allowing the light to travel through. As the second laser is reduced in energy, the 'material' becomes more and more viscous until it totally absorbs the energy of the light that is in it (becoming 'solid' to light). It stores the light's energy AND it's wave pattern.
Cool idea.
Re:Quantum computing misses the mark... (Score:3, Insightful)
The truth is, I'm guessing here, but how else do you build a human interface to a quantum system?
Re:Is this anything like "Slow glass"? (Score:5, Funny)
When I first read a story with "slow glass" in it, I thought "That might be cool." Then I thought about how much energy was somehow stored internally if I left a sheet lying in the desert in direct sunlight for ten years. Then I thought about what would happen if all that energy were discharged at once when the crystal structure (or whatever) was damaged by, say, the neighborhood brat throwing a brick through it. And decided that I wouldn't want any of that stuff in my house!