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posted by janrinok on Tuesday December 13 2016, @09:52PM   Printer-friendly
from the now-you-see-me dept.

This diagram represents the the light of a neutron star passing through an area of space where vacuum birefringence, a theory of quantum electrodynamics, is occurring. The light's magnetic and electric fields (red and blue arrows) are altered and aligned as they pass through the empty space near a neutron star, suggesting the intense magnetic field there creates virtual particles that affect the light.

About 400 light-years from here, in the area surrounding a neutron star, the electromagnetic field of this unbelievably dense object appears to be creating an area where matter spontaneously appears and then vanishes.

Quantum electrodynamics (QED) describes the relationships between particles of light, or photons, and electrically charged particles such as electrons and protons. The theories of QED suggest that the universe is full of "virtual particles," which are not really particles at all. They are fluctuations in quantum fields that have most of the same properties as particles, except they appear and vanish all the time. Scientists predicted the existence of virtual particles some 80 years ago, but we have never had experimental evidence of this process until now.


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  • (Score: 3, Touché) by ikanreed on Tuesday December 13 2016, @10:16PM

    by ikanreed (3164) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday December 13 2016, @10:16PM (#441037) Journal

    I agree, let's shoehorn in class struggle to every piece of news.

    Only borgies care about science for expanding human knowledge, amiright?

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  • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 13 2016, @10:42PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 13 2016, @10:42PM (#441049)

    Science has been a hobby for idle rich lords ever since Sir Francis Bacon invented the scientific method. There is no shoehorning needed when class struggle is inherent in science.

    • (Score: 1) by Francis on Tuesday December 13 2016, @11:02PM

      by Francis (5544) on Tuesday December 13 2016, @11:02PM (#441060)

      You're welcome.

    • (Score: 2) by ikanreed on Tuesday December 13 2016, @11:49PM

      by ikanreed (3164) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday December 13 2016, @11:49PM (#441078) Journal

      And leftists wonder why liberals are liberals instead of leftists.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 14 2016, @01:27AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 14 2016, @01:27AM (#441109)

        I guess I don't know enough rabid leftists, do they really get offended and shocked when you don't agree with everything in the typical leftist media stance?

        • (Score: 2) by ikanreed on Wednesday December 14 2016, @03:11PM

          by ikanreed (3164) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday December 14 2016, @03:11PM (#441287) Journal

          No, they're definitely more inclined to the resigned acceptance(at least until their glorious revolution) that no one takes their ideas seriously.

          What sucks for them is that I dosorta take their ideas seriously until the anti-intellectualism hits and I have to say "Do you want Stalins? Because that's how you get Stalins."

          They, like libertarians, tend to get ultracrepidarian about non-economic issues, and it's obnoxious.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 14 2016, @05:15PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 14 2016, @05:15PM (#441330)

        Because the US doesn't have any leftists. Left of fascism isn't left, its just not as extremely far right.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 13 2016, @11:55PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 13 2016, @11:55PM (#441081)

      See the violence inherent in the system!

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 14 2016, @02:34PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 14 2016, @02:34PM (#441271)

        Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.