According to a report from the British *New Scientist* website on October 16 (Beijing time), German scientists have discovered that certain light pulses, when traveling through fiber optic rings, can behave as if they have "negative mass." This unusual behavior allows the laser pulses to self-accelerate around the rings. Researchers note that while this phenomenon appears to contradict Newton’s third law, it is actually an illusion. The discovery, however, holds promise for future applications, such as faster electronic devices and more reliable communication systems.
Newton’s third law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. When two objects collide, they push off each other in opposite directions. But if one object had negative mass, it would accelerate in the same direction as the other, creating a kind of "reverse drive." Such a concept has fascinated scientists for decades. In the 1990s, NASA even explored the idea of using negative mass to create propulsion systems for rockets. However, according to quantum mechanics, true negative mass is impossible—antimatter still has positive mass.
Now, researchers at the University of Nuremberg in Germany, led by Ulrike Pescher, have found a way to simulate negative mass using what they call "equivalent mass." Their approach involves manipulating light pulses as they pass through crystalline structures. When light travels through a material like a crystal, some photons are reflected back, causing interference and slowing the overall pulse. This interference creates an effect similar to having mass—what the team calls "equivalent mass."
Depending on the shape of the light wave and the structure of the crystal, the pulse can even exhibit a negative equivalent mass. To observe this effect, the researchers used two fiber optic rings. One ring was slightly longer than the other, causing the light traveling through it to be delayed. As the pulses interacted and interfered with each other, they developed patterns that mimicked negative mass behavior.
Pescher suggests that this technique could also be applied to electrons in semiconductors, potentially boosting computer performance. Additionally, the method could help control the color of light emitted from optical fibers, increasing the bandwidth of photonic communications. It might even lead to new display technologies, such as laser-based screens. However, applying this system in real-world scenarios remains a challenge. Despite these hurdles, the research opens up exciting possibilities for the future of optics and electronics.
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