Light

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Light is electromagnetic radiation, particularly radiation of a wavelength that is visible to the human eye (about 400–700 nm, or perhaps 380–750 nm.) In physics, the term light sometimes refers to electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength, whether visible or not.

Three primary properties of light are:

Light, which exists in tiny "packets" called photons, exhibits properties of both waves and particles. This property is referred to as the wave–particle duality. The study of light, known as optics, is an important research area in modern physics.

For more information about Light, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.


News tagged with light

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Rapid star formation spotted in 'stellar nurseries' of infant galaxies

Rapid star formation spotted in 'stellar nurseries' of infant galaxies

Space & Earth / Astronomy

created 20 hours ago | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 1

The Universe's infant galaxies enjoyed rapid growth spurts forming stars like our sun at a rate of up to 50 stars a year, according to scientists at Durham University.


Planetary Society plans new 'solar sail'

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Nov 09, 2009 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (13) | comments 0

(AP) -- Four years after its first solar sail ended up in the ocean instead of orbit, The Planetary Society announced Monday that by the end of 2010 it will try again to launch a spacecraft that will be propelled by the ...


'Dropouts' pinpoint earliest galaxies

'Dropouts' pinpoint earliest galaxies

Space & Earth / Astronomy

created Nov 06, 2009 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (11) | comments 13

Astronomers, conducting the broadest survey to date of galaxies from about 800 million years after the Big Bang, have found 22 early galaxies and confirmed the age of one by its characteristic hydrogen signature ...


Chocolate

Chocolate rich in flavanols may protect the skin from UV

Medicine & Health / Health

created Nov 06, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (9) | comments 3

(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study has discovered for the first time that dark chocolate rich in flavanols may provide significant protection from the harmful effects of ultraviolet light.


NXP Sets New Benchmarks for LED Drivers

Technology / Semiconductors

created Nov 05, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0

NXP Semiconductors today announced three major developments in its portfolio of mains connected LED driver solutions: the success of its SSL2101 LED driver IC in matching LED lifetimes in an accelerated lifetime test; the ...


Compressing photonic signals for greater bandwidth

Compressing photonic signals for greater bandwidth

Physics / Optics & Photonics

created Nov 03, 2009 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (5) | comments 3

Cornell researchers have developed an ingenious method to time-compress optical signals. The process could enable optical communication systems to carry many more bits per second or could also be used to generate ...


Flipping a photonic shock wave

Flipping a photonic shock wave

Physics / Optics & Photonics

created Nov 02, 2009 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 2

A team of physicists has directly observed a reverse shock wave of light in a specially tailored structure known as a left-handed metamaterial. Although it was first predicted over forty years ago, this is ...


Study reveals a 'missing link' in immune response to disease

Study reveals a 'missing link' in immune response to disease (w/ Video)

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Nov 02, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

The immune system's T cells have the unique responsibilities of being both jury and executioner. They examine other cells for signs of disease, including cancers or infections, and, if such evidence is found, ...


Science begins at the world's most powerful X-ray laser

Science Begins at the World's Most Powerful X-ray Laser (w/ Video)

Physics / General Physics

created Nov 02, 2009 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (9) | comments 2

(PhysOrg.com) -- The first experiments are now underway using the world's most powerful X-ray laser, the Linac Coherent Light Source, located at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. ...


3-D system based on optical fiber could provide new options for photovoltaics

3-D system based on optical fiber could provide new options for photovoltaics

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

created Nov 02, 2009 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (9) | comments 0

Converting sunlight to electricity might no longer mean large panels of photovoltaic cells atop flat surfaces like roofs.


Laser accelerated protons to the highest energies so far

Researchers use trident laser to accelerate protons to record energies

Physics / General Physics

created Nov 02, 2009 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (8) | comments 10

An international team of physicists at Los Alamos National Laboratory has succeeded in using intense laser light to accelerate protons to energies never before achieved. Using this technique, scientists can ...


Dark Matter in a Galaxy

Dark Matter in a Galaxy

Space & Earth / Astronomy

created Oct 30, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (19) | comments 19

(PhysOrg.com) -- Stars, the most familiar objects in the night sky, make up only a tiny percentage of the total amount of matter in the universe -- about 2%.


Porphyrin Dimers Increase Efficiency of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Porphyrin Dimers Increase Efficiency of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Chemistry / Materials Science

created Oct 30, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (12) | comments 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- Porphyrins are most commonly thought of as the pigment in red blood cells, but now scientists have found that porphyrins can also be used to increase the efficiency of an inexpensive type ...


Scientists build first 'frequency comb' to display visible 'teeth'

Scientists Build First 'Frequency Comb' To Display Visible 'Teeth'

Physics / General Physics

created Oct 29, 2009 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (15) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Finally, an optical frequency comb that visibly lives up to its name. Scientists at the University of Konstanz in Germany and the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the U.S. ...


Astronomers explore 'last blank space' on map of the Universe

Astronomers explore 'last blank space' on map of the Universe

Space & Earth / Astronomy

created Oct 28, 2009 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (30) | comments 68

(PhysOrg.com) -- The most distant object ever discovered is described in this week's edition of the science journal Nature. Two international teams of astronomers report their observations of a gamma-ray burst ...