Irish researchers have discovered a new form of light.
Light travels in a straight line but also rotates around its axis. It was believed the angular momentum of these photos was a multiple of Planck’s constant, which sets the scale for quantum effects. The researchers theorized certain quantum effects slowed the angular momentum of these photons. They passed light through a crystal and confirmed the theory, measuring angular momentum of half of Planck’s constant. The result is a new form of light, which may have profound effects on optical communications.
