Quantum fuzziness allows light to travel incredibly fast
Михаил Руденко/Getty Images/iStockphoto
In the quantum world, seemingly impossible things happen every day: Thanks to quantum effects, particles of light can enter a cloud of ultracold atoms before they can even leave.
When light enters a material, its particles, or photons, interact with surrounding atoms and change their speed. Atoms in a material absorb and release the photons, slowing down their travel time. But…
