The Physics of Lightsabers - Stopping Light, Photonic Molecules & Bose-Einstein Condensates

Is it possible to build a lightsaber made out of light? Figuring out how to go about building a lightsaber gives us the perfect excuse to learn about new exotic states of light and matter at the cutting edge of science and technology. Are you ready? Let's dive in!

Have you ever wondered if it’s possible to build a real-life lightsaber? And if so, would it be possible to make it out of light (as opposed to using plasma instead)? I mean, after all, we want to make a lightsaber not a plasma-saber… right? Most people think that – if we are to ever build a lightsaber – we’ll most likely need to use super-hot high-energy plasma. Some say that it would be impossible to build a lightsaber made out of actual light, since we can’t make light stop at a specific length, and since a lightsaber made of light would be useless because light has no charge and no mass and hence it cannot interact with other lightsabers. Ok, perhaps that’s the case. But… what if it’s not? What if the limits of what is possible are only in our imagination? Let’s explore the science that is already out there… And why not speculate a little bit along the way?! Thinking about how to build a lightsaber is going to be the perfect excuse to learn about new exotic states of light and matter at the cutting edge of science and technology, so… without further ado, let’s dive in!

Summary:

- Technical Problem Number 1: The Lightsaber’s Length. Can We Stop Light?

- Bose-Einstein condensates, Speed of light, slow light, stop light, Lene Hau, quantum computation, quantum bits transfer from light to matter and vice-versa, no loss of information

- Technical Problem number 2: Light beams that Repel Each Other. Can we Make Light Behave a bit Like Charged Matter?

- How can we possibly replicate the matter-like properties of a lightsaber,? Ordinary light has no charge or mass... how can two lightsabers interact with each other?

- Creation of photonic molecules. Light that behaves a bit like matter. Photonic bound which is kept even after emerging out of the BEC. Mikhail Lukin, Alexey Gorshkov

- Technical Problem Number 3: a Working Handle. Do we Really Have to use Near-Absolute-Zero Temperatures?

- How to re-create extreme conditions inside a tiny handle? Could we condense photons directly? At room temperature and pressure? Martin Weitz, Alex Kruchkov. Creation of photonic condensates in realistic conditions. Super-photons

- Reflective surfaces (mirrors) needed. We either need rods or mirrors (big problem)

- Arthur C. Clark's quote: “The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to venture beyond them into the impossible”

Thank you so much for watching! :-)

More info here:

Using BEC to Slow Down Light:

Physics for the 21st Century - Manipulating Light:

What is Slow Light?

Stopped light means go for quantum computers (eventually):

Scientists create never-before-seen form of matter (2013):

Physicists create 'molecules' of light (2013):

NIST Physicists Show 'Molecules' Made of Light May Be Possible (2015):

Physicists create new source of light: Bose-Einstein condensate 'super-photons' (2010):

Trapping photons: a model for containing light (Alex Kruchkov - 2014):

Bose-Einstein Condensation of Photons (Imperial College London):

New State of Light Revealed With Photon-Trapping Method:

[Nrvll]

Just found your channel and it's amazing. Love how clear and concise your videos are. Keep it up, the cream rises to the top and it's just a matter of time before your channel blows up.

[realcygnus]

Hey New superb content ! ....interesting as entertaining & sure I speak for just about everyone of your subscriber/fans love more frequent posts but are grateful that you don't sacrifice quality for quantity of thE coolest mind candy channels going from the get Cat's Meow !

[FernandoVinny]

You deserve more views! You're incredible

[rhubarb]

Very interesting. You explain difficult stuff in a comprehensive way. Thanks.

[AJourneyIntoPhysics]

Wow really a great video..Physics and Star Wars is a great combination!!

[aguuaaa]

Wow i didnt knew anything about bs light condensate
Thx!

[SathishVKarthi]

great video there... nice explanation on BEC... I have a doubt regarding single slit laser experiment. it may be foolish to ask this but i couldnt get a better explanation. when the slit is wider laser has clear line to go through. but when it is narrowed, the beam is forced to hit the blades(slits). so because of the light hitting the slits edge it get refracted rather than uncertainty principle. Is it right to think like this or im seeing the problem in a wrong direction? please explain this. thank you for the awsome videos..

[CalebJMartin]

Ok, I would love for someone to finally clear this up for me, if they don’t mind.
The way I’ve always heard ‘light-speed through a medium’ explained is that as the photons travel they bounce around off atoms. If that’s the case then the light itself doesn’t actually ever travel slower than *c*, it just takes a much longer path. Is this accurate, or is it that the photons are actually slowed down because of how their waveform propagates through the material?

[decrodedart]

Where has this channel been the last few years of my life.
Lol

[redhandsbluefaces]

One question I would like answered is if a weapon formed from a photon condensate could cut through even the strongest materials like butter, just like a lightsaber in the movies. I imagine that the photon molecules would probably exert energy and pressure on any massive object it touches, which would convert into thermal energy, as it has the same properties of a laser, but would it be enough to cause the matter to melt or vaporize or even ionize?

[MrYendor]

now if you could make a split emitter that emits half a wave length on each side, so when tuned the 2 emitters work to make 1 wave length of light, a bit like two lasers that each only has half the wave and the other laser to complete the wave, in this way if both lasers where slightly tilted in the affective beam would only be where the 2 lasers cross. I can see it in my head but trying to explain it ya..

[olamaideoladijo]

Hi, You got me thinking about light manipulation... Putting a tube on the light would make it stop. Another thing is about plasma globes, If you put aluminium foil and wrap it on the tube with QGP inside of it it would give of a COLOSSAL electrical shock to anything it has contact with. I'm really only 10 years old so if you disagree please say it nicely, thank you!

[shobharoy]

never knew that a little known state of matter has such unusual properties

[brandono.]

I had an out of body experience where I became paralyzed while standing and then my vision was pulled forward until i saw myself as what I now think of as liquid light. Anyways I was sucked into a small black hole and there is more that happened thats too much to get into here. But yea I think it would be a liquid whip more than a sword? So I'm just trying to research what I experienced.

[jonathancarrasco]

Start using the light as this has performed as it's showing to us is a light beam source for traveling or hovering as could say magnetic way but it's a possibility as It Seems

[lazarusrex]

What color Lightsaber would you have??

[RaghavSinhaThisisme]

Yo I've been thinking for sooo long that what if u could slow down light or something and then sort of make it close together? Cuz light is particles right, so in theory can't u slow down those particles to a complete stop somehow. And if you slowed the particles down then condensed them together, couldn't they be tangible?...cuz isn't all matter just energy?...idk I feel like I don't know anything but these are just thoughts I had on the matter. Nevertheless, I will never stop scouring YouTube for videos on how to make lightsabers until someone actually does it some # of decades from now...

[lorriecarrel]

If light can be slowed down, can it be sped up?

[sanchezrubwe]

I miss u so much Dolores. Hope u r still alive. Your last YT vid was really concerning😢

[trixrabbit]

Today a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration. that we are all one consciousness viewing ourself subjectively. There is no such thing as death. Life is just a dream. And we are all just the imagination of ourselves.

Now here’s Tom with the weather.

Bill Hicks.
I’m not sure which is more amazing, that a comedian figured this out. Or that it’s taking science this long to catch up.