How much does the light ‘weight’? Scientists explain photons may have mass

I’m trying to prove the concept of the massive photon, ie. light particles will have a non-zero mass, In a pioneering way, a team of researchers from the Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory (XAO) in China has succeeded in determining the upper limits of the mass of this quantum light.

This study, recently published in The Astrophysical Journal, examines fast radio bursts (FRBs) collected from various observations as well as data collected by the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array (PPTA), an international scientific project using a giant radio telescope in Australia. analyzed the information. resources.

Based on this data and the precision of the measurements, they have not yet been able to determine the mass of the photon. rather, the mass of a particle of light, if it exists, cannot be greater than 9.52 × 10.^-46 kilogram. This infinitesimal value is approximately 1.05 x 10⁴³ It is many times smaller than the mass of a gram.

What does it mean to measure the mass of a particle of light?

Although this number may seem insignificant at first, a non-zero mass is the gold standard of modern physics. It will cause a profound redefinition of the way we interpret the Universe today.

In this case, we will have to create a new physics, as massive photons contradict both Einstein’s special relativity and Maxwell’s electromagnetic theory.

In the case of Einstein’s theory, a so-called giant photon could never travel at the speed of light, because in this case, according to the iconic equation E=mc², its energy must be infinite, which is physically impossible. In Maxwell’s theory, the postulate of the mass of a photon is completely inconsistent with its fundamental principles.

How was the upper limit of photon mass determined?

To try to prove their hypothesis, researchers had to do so with indirect measurements. Because in principle there is no instrument that can measure a particle that has no mass.. In this sense, astronomers have proposed an unprecedented theoretical framework for understanding the properties of large photons that are assumed to be emitted in plasma.

To understand: Why were the first stars in the universe large?

Working with high-precision timing data from PPTA and FRBs, they examined a property known as a dispersion measure. It shows the total number of free electrons encountered by the radio light on its journey between the source and the observer on the ground.

To save the data arrival time, They looked for millisecond delays in the timing of pulses emitted by pulsars, highly magnetized neutron stars, and FRBs.. The high temporal resolution of UWB (ultra-wideband) technology allowed signal arrival times to be determined precisely; this was key to establishing an accurate upper bound on the photon mass.

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