Classically, light can be thought of in two ways: either as a particle or a wave. But what is it really? Well, the ‘observer effect’ makes that question kind of difficult to answer. So before we get ...

The particle-wave nature of light has fascinated researchers for more than 200 years, but a new experiment has allowed researchers to visualize it like never before. This image was taken by turning an ...

One of the deepest mysteries in quantum physics is the wave-particle duality: every quantum object has properties of both a wave and a particle. Nowhere is this effect more beautifully demonstrated ...

In 1905, Albert Einstein provided an explanation of the photoelectric effect – that various metals emit electrons when light is shined on them – by suggesting that a beam of light is not simply a wave ...

An international research group has now made significant progress in the further development of compact plasma accelerators, considered a promising technology for the future: With two complementary ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. The SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory’s linear accelerator ...

Photons are particles of light, or waves, or something like that, right? [Mithuna Yoganathan] explains this conundrum in more detail than you probably got in your high school physics class. While ...

Light is well known to exhibit both wave-like and particle-like properties, as imaged here in this 2015 photograph. What's less well appreciated is that matter particles also exhibit those wave-like ...

Wave-particle duality is a fundamental fact of the Universe. But we don’t see many objects moving around as waves. This is why it hurts when a golf ball hits you on the head: you and the golf ball are ...

It’s in your physics textbook, go look. It says that you can either model light as an electromagnetic wave OR you can model light a stream of photons. You can’t use both models at the same time. It’s ...