Search
Menu
Rocky Mountain Instruments - Laser Optics LB

Physicists Bring Light to a Crawl

Facebook X LinkedIn Email
Aaron J. Hand

Light travels in a vacuum at 186,282 miles a second. Experiments at the Rowland Institute for Science have slowed that speed 20 million times, essentially allowing light to travel along a typical suburban throughway without getting a speeding fine. If the researchers have their way, light could race a tortoise -- and lose. The physics team -- led by Lene Vestergaard Hau, a researcher at Rowland and at Harvard University -- used a Bose-Einstein condensate to slow laser light down to 38 mph. Detailed in the Feb. 18 issue of Nature, the experiment sends a coupling beam through an ultracold...Read full article

Related content from Photonics Media



    Articles


    Photonics Handbook Articles


    Media
    Published: April 1999
    Research & TechnologyTech Pulse

    We use cookies to improve user experience and analyze our website traffic as stated in our Privacy Policy. By using this website, you agree to the use of cookies unless you have disabled them.