Lene Hau: "Quantum control of light and matter - from the macroscopic to the nanoscale"

Lene Hau: "Quantum control of light and matter - from the macroscopic to the nanoscale" Stopping Light!
Sep 9, 2011
Lene Hau, Harvard University
Professor of Physics and Applied Physics :

"Quantum control of light and matter - from the macroscopic to the nanoscale"

Light pulses are slowed in ultra-cold atom clouds to bicycle speed: 24 km/hour, which is 50 million times lower than the light speed in vacuum. In the process the pulses spatially compress by the same large factor, from 1 km to only 0.02 mm at which point they fit entirely within the atom cloud. A light pulse can then be completely stopped for several milliseconds. In our more recent experiments, we take matters further: We stop and extinguish a light pulse in one part of space and revive it in a completely different location. The experiments create a new paradigm for control and inter-conversion of light and matter.... and the secret behind the trick will be revealed in the talk.

Original source
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxFx8m41QWM