I was told long ago in middle school science class that energy is neither created nor destroyed. Within the physical constraints of the universe, you cannot make something from nothing.
So I must admit that I do not know what to make of a headline like this:
Physicists Say Light Can Be Made From Nothing and Now They Have the Simulation to Prove It
Apparently it does make sense, at least in a way that's intelligible to quantum physicists, which means it's probably mostly out of reach for 99.8% of us:
In the strange realm of quantum physics, even the vacuum seethes with invisible potential. Inside the apparent nothingness, so-called "virtual" particles flicker into and out of existence too quickly to see. Now, for the first time, physicists have simulated what it would look like if a flash of light were conjured from that void by making these invisible tremors suddenly visible.
The phenomenon is apparently traceable to a principle called "vacuum four-wave mixing." Though normally "light beams pass through each other undisturbed," within the quantum vacuum, which is chock-full of these so-called virtual particles, "intense electromagnetic fields can alter this behavior."
Using powerful computing tools built into the OSIRIS simulation framework, the team recreated this interaction in extraordinary detail. They showed how three intersecting virtual laser beams could coax a fourth beam into existence, purely from the altered vacuum. It's a process akin to summoning a spark from thin air.
"A spark from thin air."
I'm thinking I still don't get it! But apparently it's a huge development, a landmark in science and a watermark for future research:
'Having thoroughly benchmarked the simulation,' Zhang said, 'we can now turn our attention to more complex and exploratory scenarios - including exotic laser beam structures and flying-focus pulses.'
Yeah I definitely still don't get it. But good for the scientists either way!
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