more details on the photonic molecule experiment?

[th3shameless]

http://phys.org/news/2013-09-scientists-never-before-seen.html

according to that, phsycists have managed to combine photons and create molecules from them, very interesting stuff. They don't really go into much detail on the actual properties however, i'm really curious on whether or not they decay or remain stable, could more and more photons be clumped together until it's large enough to be visible? info like that, anyone know of any more details on this? it's gotten me very interested

[Scotius]

First step towards replicators and teleporters?

[NGTOne]

  Scotius said:

First step towards replicators and teleporters?

Not sure - the effect sounds more like how lightsabers in SW are described than anything else.

Man, welcome to the future, eh?

[K^2]

These are just bound states in medium. Man, the press really knows how to blow these things out of proportion. It's cool stuff, but it has nothing to do with being able to actually build things out of light.

[lajoswinkler]

The moment I've read the title, I knew that it's almost a lie. Just keep reading the article and your excitement will drop down just like the one of the rubidium atoms after the experiment.

It's just photons interacting while passing through an ultracold sample. They don't stop, they don't deposit "light stuff" or anything like that. I don't even know why are they calling this molecules. Molecules are made out of complex particle systems. Simple particles interacting do not form molecules.

Edited October 15, 2013 by lajoswinkler

[Ralathon]

  lajoswinkler said:

The moment I've read the title, I knew that it's almost a lie. Just keep reading the article and your excitement will drop down just like the one of the rubidium atoms after the experiment.

It's just photons interacting while passing through an ultracold sample. They don't stop, they don't deposit "light stuff" or anything like that. I don't even know why are they calling this molecules. Molecules are made out of complex particle systems. Simple particles interacting do not form molecules.

Except, you know, H2...

But I fully agree, calling these interactions molecules gives the wrong impression.

[Moon Goddess]

  NGTOne said:

Not sure - the effect sounds more like how lightsabers in SW are described than anything else.

Man, welcome to the future, eh?

Sounds much more like a holodeck than a lightsaber to me.

[lajoswinkler]

  Ralathon said:

Except, you know, H2...

But I fully agree, calling these interactions molecules gives the wrong impression.

Nope. Hydrogen molecule is made out of two hydrogen atoms. Hydrogen atoms are complex systems because they have a nucleus and an electron cloud.

[K^2]

  lajoswinkler said:

Nope. Hydrogen molecule is made out of two hydrogen atoms. Hydrogen atoms are complex systems because they have a nucleus and an electron cloud.

They are all just bound states. And that's all the researchers ever claimed. Bound states between photons. That's what they found and that's what they reported. Any further twisting of the words, blame it on the media.

[lajoswinkler]

  K^2 said:

They are all just bound states. And that's all the researchers ever claimed. Bound states between photons. That's what they found and that's what they reported. Any further twisting of the words, blame it on the media.

I am. I'm blaming it on the media. They're always the problematic node between the scientists and the public and play a huge part in the demonization of science. Lies will not lead us nowhere.

[th3shameless]

ahh i see, i couldn't find any research paper so media was my only source unfortunately. thanks for clearing it up a bit