A surprising result has been uncovered: darkness can technically outpace light under specific conditions. While Einstein’s theory states that information cannot travel faster than light, massless phenomena that carry no information, such as darkness, can technically exceed this cosmic speed limit. In this regard, scientists focused on optical phase singularities, which are also called zero points or null points.
These are tiny holes or voids in light waves where the light’s amplitude drops to zero, creating points of complete darkness. However, recent theory has outlined that these singularities can move at superluminal speeds, especially during their annihilation. The research team used a specialized laser and microscopy system to track these dark points. They used a material called hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) to turn light into polaritons. In this polariton state, light is slowed down to roughly 1% of its speed in a vacuum. This reduction made it possible to observe and measure the dark point vortices surpassing the local speed of light.
In this connection, Ido Kaminer, senior author of the study from Technion said in a press statement: “Our discovery reveals universal laws of nature shared by all types of waves, from sound waves and fluid flows to complex systems such as superconductors.”
The researchers are committed to these innovative microscopy techniques which have enabled the study of hidden processes in physics, chemistry, and biology. For the first time, they reveal how nature behaves in its fastest states. Furthermore, this discovery outlines laws of nature that apply to all wave types, including sound and fluid flows. These techniques may eventually help scientists uncover elusive processes across multiple scientific disciplines.
