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Hard Light, Photonic Matter

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Mon, 2013-09-30 21:59

Enigma32

Hard Light, Photonic Matter

Here's an unexpected twist in science: Physicists have recently created a new type of matter called photonic matter, meaning it's actual, literal hard light. http://phys.org/news/2013-09-scientists-never-before-seen.html The obvious implications are obvious: light-sabers are now fair game (both in game and in real life) But what other implications might there be? If they can use them to create crystals, then they can use those crystals to store information, which would mean that you could store information on matter made of solid light. I don't see how it'd be any different from storing information on holograms, but... [i]solid light![/i] Because it's solid light, it could be used to give holograms real substance. An AGI might just sleeve themselves into an infomorph that's projected onto reality using hard light. Your Eidolon morph? As long as you've got a "hard-light projector", you're ready to roll no matter where you are. Hell, it might even eliminate the body shortage all together, and let humans become [i]literal[/i] energy beings. Any other ideas?

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"If we succeed, we're geniuses for doing it. If we fail, we're stupid for trying it. If we succeed beyond our goal and our dreams, we're insane for reaching so high and getting there."

Mon, 2013-09-30 22:40

NewtonPulsifer NewtonPulsifer's picture

Already killjoyed this in

Already killjoyed this in this thread http://eclipsephase.com/solid-light

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"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve."- Isoroku Yamamoto

Tue, 2013-10-01 14:40

nerdnumber1 nerdnumber1's picture

They just made the discovery

They just made the discovery of this new type of matter. It is hard to say what kind of properties it would have on the macro-scale. Heck, I'm not entirely sure that it would give off visible light at all!

Tue, 2013-10-01 16:24

NewtonPulsifer NewtonPulsifer's picture

"Researchers began by pumped

"Researchers began by pumped rubidium atoms into a vacuum chamber, then used lasers to cool the cloud of atoms to just a few degrees above absolute zero." So, you need: a vacuum chamber several degrees from absolute zero rubidium atoms Then you can get the light travelling through the electric field of the rubidium atoms to [i]seem[/i] like they get a high cross section such that they can "push" against each other. Except they are *not* pushing against each other, the rubidium atom's electric field that absorbed the photon is pushing against another rubidium atom's electric field that absorbed another photon. No atoms no pushies. The researcher who used the "light saber" comment to describe it to the journalist used a terrible analogy in my opinion. EDIT:Rydberg matter (which is the state these rubidium atoms are in) was theorized in 1980 but not actually created until somewhat more recently (2002-ish I think). So it's far better understood than you seemed to hope. EDIT2: No lightsabers for you kids! Now get off my lawn!

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"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve."- Isoroku Yamamoto

Wed, 2013-10-02 04:12

Wyvernjack Wyvernjack's picture

Hard-light armor and weapon

Hard-light armor and weapon augmentations, huzzah!

Wed, 2013-10-02 07:09

nizkateth

^_^

It's still really cool.

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Reapers: Do Not Taunt Happy Fun Ball. My watch also has a minute hand, millenium hand, and an eon hand.

Wed, 2013-10-02 13:32

NewtonPulsifer NewtonPulsifer's picture

nizkateth wrote:It's still

nizkateth wrote:
It's still really cool.

Okay I'll grant you that :) It is cool. You could also continually recirculate the photons so the light never escapes until you want it to. *Very* interesting for optical computation, but not so much for decapitating droids.

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"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve."- Isoroku Yamamoto