Light Photographed as Particle and Wave

For the first time, scientists documented light as a both a particle and a wave. A team of Swiss and American researchers captured the dual states of light in a single photograph using an advanced electron microscope at the EPFL labs in Switzerland. The team shot a stream of electrons at light radiating around a nanowire, triggering a demonstration of both the particle and wave states of light. “This experiment demonstrates that, for the first time ever, we can film quantum mechanics—and its paradoxical nature—directly,” said lead researcher Fabrizio Carbone. While the image is pretty cool all on its own, the strategy for capturing the snapshot offers larger scientific possibilities. “Being able to image and control quantum phenomena at the nanometer scale like this opens up a new route towards quantum computing," said Carbone.