After an 80-year-long quest, British scientists have discovered how to turn light into matter. Scientists G Breit and John A Wheeler suggested in 1934 the simplest method of turning light into matter — by smashing together only two particles of light (photons ), to create an electron and a positron. But has never been observed in a lab and past experiments to test it have required the addition of massive high-energy particles.
The experiment would recreate a process that was critical in the first 100 seconds of the universe, also seen in gamma ray bursts — the biggest explosions in the universe and one of physics’ greatest unsolved mysteries.
The collider experiment has two key steps. First, the scientists would use an extremely powerful high-intensity laser to speed up electrons to just below the speed of light. These electrons would be fired at a slab of gold to create a beam of photons a billion times more energetic than visible light. The next stage involves a tiny gold can called a hohlraum. Scientists would fire a high-energy laser at the inner surface of this can, to create a thermal radiation field, generating light similar to the light emitted by stars.
The photon beam from the first stage of the experiment would be directed through the centre of the can, causing the photons from the two sources to collide and form electrons and positrons. It would then be possible to detect the formation of the electrons and positrons when they exited the can.
