What is Digg?46 Comments
- miles01110, on 10/12/2007, -0/+17"I read about this in my local Newspaper 6 years ago. Have they still not come up with any reasonable application for this?"
You know, as a grad student that collaborated on this project (along with several other scientists from different institutions that were not recognized in the article) it irks me that the general public still frowns upon science if it doesn't produce "reasonable" applications.
Science is not aiming to make your life better through discovery. What usually happens is that there is a discovery, and several years down the road someone comes up with a novel way to incorporate a particular scientific principle into a piece of technology that somehow improves the general welfare. One particular example that comes to mind: back when Nuclear Magnetic Resonance was developed in the physical chemist's domain, they were looking for a way to (pardon the oversimplification) determine the structure of macromolecules. Several years later, MRI machines started saving lives. The original purpose is totally different from the technological implication.
Several other examples come to mind (like I don't know, the semiconductor)- but I won't go into detail. Long story short, (pure) science aims to understand nature and nature's laws through experimental verification of mathematical theory. It does *not* seek to make your life longer, happier, or more worthwhile. - GaffleSnipe, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14“That’s the sort of stuff we find really sexy in this business.”
BENDING light is sexy. This is more like a real-life Einstein wet dream. AMAZING. - MrBabyMan, on 10/12/2007, -3/+16This reflects a serious flaw in the NY Times-Digg submission mechanism. This was submitted directly from the article's Submit to Digg link. If this article had been previously submitted, any further submission should be locked off. Obviously it was not my intent to dupe a submission. NY Times needs to fix this.
- thcobbs, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13Lets see if I can think of a few.
True light-cloaking devices
Quantum storage
Teleportation
Ok, I'm tapped out now. - Unclekoolaid, on 10/12/2007, -2/+13I put on my robe and wizard hat
- otheruser, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6a transporter would have to transform atoms into clumps of light...
light "slowed" in a clump of atoms does not mean the clump of atoms will move at the speed of light. - miles01110, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6On a more scientific note, the light doesn't come to a complete stop. Neither does anything else, actually- that would violate Heisenberg Uncertainty hardcore.
- rasterbator, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8"Transforming a light signal into a clump of atoms could be a way of storing information..."
Yeah and it could also be the beginnings of a transporter. - GhostCow, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Wasn't this just on the front page a few hours ago?
- rderveloy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4@capncash:
"I read about this in my local Newspaper 6 years ago. Have they still not come up with any reasonable application for this?"
FTA: "That ability to catch, store, move and release light could be used in future computers to process information encoded in the light pulses."
Considering that fiber optic cables (fiber optic cables use light) are widely used throughout the internets, this has profound implications on increasing efficiency and data transmission speeds.
Perhaps you should read the article before posting mindless comments. - hiPpymIck, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4dyou think the Harvard guys 'teleported' it
- foolfromhell, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3No. It would transport them to 14th century France.
ok..ok.. That movie did suck. - Volred, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I can think of a good use for this....... TV....... oh wait......
Maybe if they could transport solid matter that would be cool. But Fedex would still find a way to still wreck your package. - miles01110, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"...the collision caused 50,000 to 100,000 of the sodium atoms to start spinning, almost like small tops, and pushed this small clump forward at less than a mile an hour."
"Less than a mile an hour" is hardly "a complete stop". - miles01110, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Light reflecting off of a mirror is the continuous reflection of a continuous stream of photons off a surface.
In this experiment, said photons are trapped and condensed into a Bose Einstein condensate, instead of continuing on into space. - roaddemon, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3"Quantum Storage" - Man, I have enough problems keeping my CPU below 60 degrees Celcius (333 Kelvin). I can't wait until I have memory that I need to keep near 0 Kelvin.
- Jacob, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2but the book was good.
- solidhubris, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Since no one else said it...photon torpedo?
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Pics or it didnt happen?
- Lunarshadow, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Now I can finally cast a real Magic Missile on the darkness.
- miles01110, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Uhhh, Jason Blair?
- BassJunkie, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2It's all well and good you can get it to move 2 tenths of a millimeter in a Bose-Einstein cloud but..
But will it blend?
I'm also quite interested in the idea of storing data in it! Just imagine being able to store all the pr0n in the world in a little bottle of exotic, super chilled gas under your bed :-) - NoBullet2, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Damn those Americans are smart.
- emehrkay, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3These nerds need to stop working on this and cure baldness :(
- foolfromhell, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2No.
Photon Torpedoes are launched from capsules. They are not energy until the explosion.
Same with Quantum Torpedoes. - psdiao, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Baldness is caused by testosterone, the oestrogren supplements and that should fix it. You might grow boobs though.
- metacoola, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Thanks for explaining, I can't wait till this technology is applied. The only problem is things like this are so hard to push with pantents and such.
- metacoola, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Just wondering, how is this different then reflecting light at an angle with mirror, which does both those things.
- liminaldust, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1@rderveloy
I posted a couple points on why your post is just as mindless, but digg ate it up.
You make me laugh... "profound implications on increasing efficiency and data transmission speeds"
This has nothing at all to do with fiber optic cables.
1. You cannot transform information (including that about a photon) faster than the speed of light
2. You cannot encode light into information, see heisenberg uncertainty principle for the reason
3. Bose-einstein condensates are extremely hard to create and maintain
You won't be seeing applications of this turned into a household product, but I do think it is a significant accomplishment and an interesting read. B-E condensates are all the rage these days... - liminaldust, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1@miles
I understand your concern, but the article actually specifies that not only the photon comes to a complete halt; but its imprint in the sodium particles can convey the characteristics of the photon itself.
It's quite shocking, and I could not know since i did not read the scientific paper on this, but I can imagine a few reasons why this would not violate the uncertainty principle. The uncertainty principle is very strict on the conditions about measuring conjugate quantities of position and momentum. - outspeak, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Do the electrons of the atoms move faster when excited by a laser?
- utcursch, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3This is duplicate, was on front page 20 hours and 6 minutes ago with >500 diggs:
http://digg.com/general_sciences/Storing_light_here_and_retrieving_it_there
The titles are different, but both the stories are about the same achievement by Harvard physicists. - ebcreasoner, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2Rhinoceruses don't play games. They f*cking charge your ass.
http://www.adamchance.com/funny.htm - Bibimbap, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3Didn't reply to correct post. please ignore.
- cuoops, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Yep, this happens every day.
- justintsmith, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Did someone say cloaking device!?!?
- thcobbs, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2Yeah, the military was trying that out decades ago. They could send all the atoms.... They just never could re-assemble them correctly. Led to some odd looking fruit/veggies in the end.
- polyGone, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2I thought light moved by itself.
- fireguy15207, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0Pics don't always prove things. Have you ever heard of photoshop?
Also, the NY Times is a respectable news source, I doubt that they'll publish something that didn't happen. - rasterbator, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1“It’s been a wonderful problem to try to wrap your brain around...”
Now THAT would be some wizardry! - ThinkBox, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1The real question is: will this guy take off his clothes and go broadway like is wizardly brethren?
- u8myfoood, on 10/12/2007, -12/+4WITCHERY WITCHERY!... we need to burn him at the cross!
jk. - hankbeasley, on 04/22/2009, -11/+1Bring back the digg Top Users List!
- banderbe, on 10/12/2007, -12/+1BORING.
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