“Breaking the vacuum” with petawatt laser

[Frannie]

Wow, nice display of ignorance. Try looking up the definition of Laws, theories and hypothesis as used in science. It is science we’re discussing here so those definitions apply.

Here, let me help. Live and learn.

“In general, a scientific law is the description of an observed phenomenon. It doesn't explain why the phenomenon exists or what causes it. The explanation of a phenomenon is called a scientific theory. It is a misconception that theories turn into laws with enough research.

"In science, laws are a starting place," said Peter Coppinger, an associate professor of biology and biomedical engineering at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. "From there, scientists can then ask the questions, 'Why and how?'"”

What Is a Law in Science?

Obviously the law existed. It had to exist to be smashed. I think your confusion is a result of a misunderstanding of what science actually is. It is not a rigid body of knowledge cast in stone. It is an ongoing revelation fueled by expertise and technology subject to constant challenge and revision, hence my qualification of testable, verifiable (repeatable) and falsifiable. If if it cannot be subject to that kind of scrutiny, it is not science, it is hypothesis at best or idol dreaming at worst.

What I believe is that it’s an interesting and testable, verifiable and falsifiable hypothesis. An experiment to test it all has been designed and it is just a matter of developing the technology a bit more to catch up to the experimental design, I look forward to seeing the results. It’s exciting stuff, to me, getting to know the universe we inhabit.

Science is always restless if it’s good science. In my field, Abbe’s Law of Diffraction was the 800 lb gorilla in the room when it came to determining ultimate resolution of optical systems in microscopy. That held for over a century until Stefan Hell smashed the optical resolution barrier, rewrote Abbe’s equations and won a noble prize doing it. The truths science uncovers often depend on certain technology or tools to reveal them. So things change as we grow our smarts and technology.

So you believe that the universe and all the matter in it just popped into existence from nothing and that a degree is needed to claim this

Lol

The only reason that a law can be smashed is because it never existed

What I believe is that it’s an interesting and testable, verifiable and falsifiable hypothesis. An experiment to test it all has been designed and it is just a matter of developing the technology a bit more to catch up to the experimental design, I look forward to seeing the results. It’s exciting stuff, to me, getting to know the universe we inhabit.

Science is always restless if it’s good science. In my field, Abbe’s Law of Diffraction was the 800 lb gorilla in the room when it came to determining ultimate resolution of optical systems in microscopy. That held for over a century until Stefan Hell smashed the optical resolution barrier, rewrote Abbe’s equations and won a noble prize doing it. The truths science uncovers often depend on certain technology or tools to reveal them. So things change as we grow our smarts and technology.

So you believe that the universe and all the matter in it just popped into existence from nothing and that a degree is needed to claim this

Lol

The only reason that a law can be smashed is because it never existed

If the law was smashed it never existed.

Physical laws do not change, only human understanding changes

Actually physical laws are not breakable, so if it was broken it was described in error

Jesus

 

[Crepitus]

Perhaps this is old news for some but this was the first I heard about it, ripping particles from empty space.

“...most alluring, Li says, would be showing that light could tear electrons and their antimatter counterparts, positrons, from empty space—a phenomenon known as "breaking the vacuum." It would be a striking illustration that matter and energy are interchangeable...”

Physicists are planning to build lasers so powerful they could rip apart empty space | Science | AAAS

That's a long ways off.

IIRC a petawatt is something like 10 to the 15th power watts, and right now I'm not ever sure we could power Doc Brown's delorian and all it needs is 1.5 gigawatts. Again, IIRC (college was a long time ago) a gigawatt is about 1 millionth of a petawatt. Or maybe 1 billionth?

But if that laser were here now could it separate antimatter from matter in a vacuum

Lol

That's the theory.

 

[Crepitus]

Perhaps this is old news for some but this was the first I heard about it, ripping particles from empty space.

“...most alluring, Li says, would be showing that light could tear electrons and their antimatter counterparts, positrons, from empty space—a phenomenon known as "breaking the vacuum." It would be a striking illustration that matter and energy are interchangeable...”

Physicists are planning to build lasers so powerful they could rip apart empty space | Science | AAAS

That's a long ways off.

IIRC a petawatt is something like 10 to the 15th power watts, and right now I'm not ever sure we could power Doc Brown's delorian and all it needs is 1.5 gigawatts. Again, IIRC (college was a long time ago) a gigawatt is about 1 millionth of a petawatt. Or maybe 1 billionth?

Edit, now that I finally made the article load I see that they have actually done it, even if only for a trillionth of a second.

Neat.

They did not find antimatter

Yet.

 

[Frannie]

Perhaps this is old news for some but this was the first I heard about it, ripping particles from empty space.

“...most alluring, Li says, would be showing that light could tear electrons and their antimatter counterparts, positrons, from empty space—a phenomenon known as "breaking the vacuum." It would be a striking illustration that matter and energy are interchangeable...”

Physicists are planning to build lasers so powerful they could rip apart empty space | Science | AAAS

That's a long ways off.

IIRC a petawatt is something like 10 to the 15th power watts, and right now I'm not ever sure we could power Doc Brown's delorian and all it needs is 1.5 gigawatts. Again, IIRC (college was a long time ago) a gigawatt is about 1 millionth of a petawatt. Or maybe 1 billionth?

But if that laser were here now could it separate antimatter from matter in a vacuum

Lol

That's the theory.

You can not separate matter and antimatter, because they annihilate each other, which means they can never be together in harmony to be separated. It's not a theory if you understand the properties of matter

 

[Crepitus]

Perhaps this is old news for some but this was the first I heard about it, ripping particles from empty space.

“...most alluring, Li says, would be showing that light could tear electrons and their antimatter counterparts, positrons, from empty space—a phenomenon known as "breaking the vacuum." It would be a striking illustration that matter and energy are interchangeable...”

Physicists are planning to build lasers so powerful they could rip apart empty space | Science | AAAS

That's a long ways off.

IIRC a petawatt is something like 10 to the 15th power watts, and right now I'm not ever sure we could power Doc Brown's delorian and all it needs is 1.5 gigawatts. Again, IIRC (college was a long time ago) a gigawatt is about 1 millionth of a petawatt. Or maybe 1 billionth?

But if that laser were here now could it separate antimatter from matter in a vacuum

Lol

That's the theory.

You can not separate matter and antimatter, because they annihilate each other, which means they can never be together in harmony to be separated. It's not a theory if you understand the properties of matter

So, are you a theoretical physicist?

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

Perhaps this is old news for some but this was the first I heard about it, ripping particles from empty space.

“...most alluring, Li says, would be showing that light could tear electrons and their antimatter counterparts, positrons, from empty space—a phenomenon known as "breaking the vacuum." It would be a striking illustration that matter and energy are interchangeable...”

Physicists are planning to build lasers so powerful they could rip apart empty space | Science | AAAS

"That would be very exciting," he says. "It would mean you could generate something from nothing." I kinda had to laugh at that statement. If I'm right, their petawatt laser would be using 5.3 X 10^15th watts in order to produce a few electrons and positrons. Meantime I can get trillions of electrons from a simple AAA battery! And I can get scads of positrons from the simple interaction of the w and z gauge bosons (radioactive decay)! Perhaps my old tritium backlit wristwatch produces them? But I know, it is more exciting to pull them out of empty space (convert energy to matter). Science marches on.

Are you serious right now?

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

Wow, nice display of ignorance. Try looking up the definition of Laws, theories and hypothesis as used in science. It is science we’re discussing here so those definitions apply.

Here, let me help. Live and learn.

“In general, a scientific law is the description of an observed phenomenon. It doesn't explain why the phenomenon exists or what causes it. The explanation of a phenomenon is called a scientific theory. It is a misconception that theories turn into laws with enough research.

"In science, laws are a starting place," said Peter Coppinger, an associate professor of biology and biomedical engineering at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. "From there, scientists can then ask the questions, 'Why and how?'"”

What Is a Law in Science?

Obviously the law existed. It had to exist to be smashed. I think your confusion is a result of a misunderstanding of what science actually is. It is not a rigid body of knowledge cast in stone. It is an ongoing revelation fueled by expertise and technology subject to constant challenge and revision, hence my qualification of testable, verifiable (repeatable) and falsifiable. If if it cannot be subject to that kind of scrutiny, it is not science, it is hypothesis at best or idol dreaming at worst.

What I believe is that it’s an interesting and testable, verifiable and falsifiable hypothesis. An experiment to test it all has been designed and it is just a matter of developing the technology a bit more to catch up to the experimental design, I look forward to seeing the results. It’s exciting stuff, to me, getting to know the universe we inhabit.

Science is always restless if it’s good science. In my field, Abbe’s Law of Diffraction was the 800 lb gorilla in the room when it came to determining ultimate resolution of optical systems in microscopy. That held for over a century until Stefan Hell smashed the optical resolution barrier, rewrote Abbe’s equations and won a noble prize doing it. The truths science uncovers often depend on certain technology or tools to reveal them. So things change as we grow our smarts and technology.

So you believe that the universe and all the matter in it just popped into existence from nothing and that a degree is needed to claim this

Lol

The only reason that a law can be smashed is because it never existed

What I believe is that it’s an interesting and testable, verifiable and falsifiable hypothesis. An experiment to test it all has been designed and it is just a matter of developing the technology a bit more to catch up to the experimental design, I look forward to seeing the results. It’s exciting stuff, to me, getting to know the universe we inhabit.

Science is always restless if it’s good science. In my field, Abbe’s Law of Diffraction was the 800 lb gorilla in the room when it came to determining ultimate resolution of optical systems in microscopy. That held for over a century until Stefan Hell smashed the optical resolution barrier, rewrote Abbe’s equations and won a noble prize doing it. The truths science uncovers often depend on certain technology or tools to reveal them. So things change as we grow our smarts and technology.

So you believe that the universe and all the matter in it just popped into existence from nothing and that a degree is needed to claim this

Lol

The only reason that a law can be smashed is because it never existed

If the law was smashed it never existed.

Physical laws do not change, only human understanding changes

Frannie is a troll. He is saying stupid shit on purpose for attention. Don't waste your time.

 

[Dick Foster]

Perhaps this is old news for some but this was the first I heard about it, ripping particles from empty space.

“...most alluring, Li says, would be showing that light could tear electrons and their antimatter counterparts, positrons, from empty space—a phenomenon known as "breaking the vacuum." It would be a striking illustration that matter and energy are interchangeable...”

Physicists are planning to build lasers so powerful they could rip apart empty space | Science | AAAS

"That would be very exciting," he says. "It would mean you could generate something from nothing." I kinda had to laugh at that statement. If I'm right, their petawatt laser would be using 5.3 X 10^15th watts in order to produce a few electrons and positrons. Meantime I can get trillions of electrons from a simple AAA battery! And I can get scads of positrons from the simple interaction of the w and z gauge bosons (radioactive decay)! Perhaps my old tritium backlit wristwatch produces them? But I know, it is more exciting to pull them out of empty space (convert energy to matter). Science marches on.

LOL The clown has to be a democrat. That's exactly how electric cars and perpetual motion make so much sense to them. All you have to do is look at the end result then ignore and disregard all the shit that had to happen before. Very similar to their economics and how you can get so much shit for free.

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

Perhaps this is old news for some but this was the first I heard about it, ripping particles from empty space.

“...most alluring, Li says, would be showing that light could tear electrons and their antimatter counterparts, positrons, from empty space—a phenomenon known as "breaking the vacuum." It would be a striking illustration that matter and energy are interchangeable...”

Physicists are planning to build lasers so powerful they could rip apart empty space | Science | AAAS

"That would be very exciting," he says. "It would mean you could generate something from nothing." I kinda had to laugh at that statement. If I'm right, their petawatt laser would be using 5.3 X 10^15th watts in order to produce a few electrons and positrons. Meantime I can get trillions of electrons from a simple AAA battery! And I can get scads of positrons from the simple interaction of the w and z gauge bosons (radioactive decay)! Perhaps my old tritium backlit wristwatch produces them? But I know, it is more exciting to pull them out of empty space (convert energy to matter). Science marches on.

LOL The clown has to be a democrat. That's exactly how electric cars and perpetual motion make so much sense to them. All you have to do is look at the end result then ignore and disregard all the shit that had to happen before. Very similar to their economics and how you can get so much shit for free.

You definitely do not belong in the science section. Ever.

 

[fncceo]

I love science with practical application...

 

[Frannie]

Perhaps this is old news for some but this was the first I heard about it, ripping particles from empty space.

“...most alluring, Li says, would be showing that light could tear electrons and their antimatter counterparts, positrons, from empty space—a phenomenon known as "breaking the vacuum." It would be a striking illustration that matter and energy are interchangeable...”

Physicists are planning to build lasers so powerful they could rip apart empty space | Science | AAAS

That's a long ways off.

IIRC a petawatt is something like 10 to the 15th power watts, and right now I'm not ever sure we could power Doc Brown's delorian and all it needs is 1.5 gigawatts. Again, IIRC (college was a long time ago) a gigawatt is about 1 millionth of a petawatt. Or maybe 1 billionth?

But if that laser were here now could it separate antimatter from matter in a vacuum

Lol

That's the theory.

You can not separate matter and antimatter, because they annihilate each other, which means they can never be together in harmony to be separated. It's not a theory if you understand the properties of matter

So, are you a theoretical physicist?

One does not need be a physicist to understand a theory as you do not.

Again matter and antimatter can not be separated because they can never be together.

 

[Crepitus]

That's a long ways off.

IIRC a petawatt is something like 10 to the 15th power watts, and right now I'm not ever sure we could power Doc Brown's delorian and all it needs is 1.5 gigawatts. Again, IIRC (college was a long time ago) a gigawatt is about 1 millionth of a petawatt. Or maybe 1 billionth?

But if that laser were here now could it separate antimatter from matter in a vacuum

Lol

That's the theory.

You can not separate matter and antimatter, because they annihilate each other, which means they can never be together in harmony to be separated. It's not a theory if you understand the properties of matter

So, are you a theoretical physicist?

One does not need be a physicist to understand a theory as you do not.

Again matter and antimatter can not be separated because they can never be together.

 

[toobfreak]

Actually, current theory on quantum fluctuations says particles are popping in and out of existence in vacuum constantly. Here’s a wiki link.

“A quantum fluctuation is the temporary appearance of energetic particles out of empty space, as allowed by the uncertainty principle.”

Quantum fluctuation - Wikipedia

However, even better, with less math and more humor, is this talk by Lawrence Krause. I’ve listened to this through several times and always enjoyed it. I hope you find it equally interesting.

Perhaps this is old news for some but this was the first I heard about it, ripping particles from empty space.

“...most alluring, Li says, would be showing that light could tear electrons and their antimatter counterparts, positrons, from empty space—a phenomenon known as "breaking the vacuum." It would be a striking illustration that matter and energy are interchangeable...”

Physicists are planning to build lasers so powerful they could rip apart empty space | Science | AAAS

There is nothing in empty space to tear apart, though this may prove false, nor does matter if there have a present antimatter counterpart to rip away as matter and antimatter can not cohabitate the same space without neutralizing each other

Nice story though, popping in einstein makes it seem logical, at least to an illogical processor, which I lack

To pop in and out of existence is a theory that requires totally new physics. Furthermore antimatter can not be separated from matter because they can not exist together.

It's all gibberish

My theory is that fools are pushing pseudoscience in an attempt to dethrone the current title holder

Frannie, YOU are gibberish. That "new physics" you suggest needed has been around since about the 1920s. Further antimatter DOES exist because it HAS to be separated! The problem with antimatter is that not enough of it can be produced to be particularly useful. Every particle has its opposite. One exists because of the other.

 

[toobfreak]

Obviously the law existed. It had to exist to be smashed. I think your confusion is a result of a misunderstanding of what science actually is. It is not a rigid body of knowledge cast in stone. It is an ongoing revelation fueled by expertise and technology subject to constant challenge and revision, hence my qualification of testable, verifiable (repeatable) and falsifiable. If if it cannot be subject to that kind of scrutiny, it is not science, it is hypothesis at best or idol dreaming at worst.

What I believe is that it’s an interesting and testable, verifiable and falsifiable hypothesis. An experiment to test it all has been designed and it is just a matter of developing the technology a bit more to catch up to the experimental design, I look forward to seeing the results. It’s exciting stuff, to me, getting to know the universe we inhabit.

Science is always restless if it’s good science. In my field, Abbe’s Law of Diffraction was the 800 lb gorilla in the room when it came to determining ultimate resolution of optical systems in microscopy. That held for over a century until Stefan Hell smashed the optical resolution barrier, rewrote Abbe’s equations and won a noble prize doing it. The truths science uncovers often depend on certain technology or tools to reveal them. So things change as we grow our smarts and technology.

Lawrence Krause is anything but a fool. He is one of the leading particle physicists and cosmologists of the day and, as demonstrated by the Wiki article, this is current thinking in theoretical physics, a Nobel prize having been awarded on this exact topic. I’m not sure you read the article, or if you did that you understood it. It is completely in keeping with current theory that, if you dump enough energy into a finite space, you might get matter. That is exactly one of the keen points of interest in doing the experiment. Energy to matter conversion.

So you believe that the universe and all the matter in it just popped into existence from nothing and that a degree is needed to claim this

Lol

The only reason that a law can be smashed is because it never existed

What I believe is that it’s an interesting and testable, verifiable and falsifiable hypothesis. An experiment to test it all has been designed and it is just a matter of developing the technology a bit more to catch up to the experimental design, I look forward to seeing the results. It’s exciting stuff, to me, getting to know the universe we inhabit.

Science is always restless if it’s good science. In my field, Abbe’s Law of Diffraction was the 800 lb gorilla in the room when it came to determining ultimate resolution of optical systems in microscopy. That held for over a century until Stefan Hell smashed the optical resolution barrier, rewrote Abbe’s equations and won a noble prize doing it. The truths science uncovers often depend on certain technology or tools to reveal them. So things change as we grow our smarts and technology.

Lawrence Krause is anything but a fool. He is one of the leading particle physicists and cosmologists of the day and, as demonstrated by the Wiki article, this is current thinking in theoretical physics, a Nobel prize having been awarded on this exact topic. I’m not sure you read the article, or if you did that you understood it. It is completely in keeping with current theory that, if you dump enough energy into a finite space, you might get matter. That is exactly one of the keen points of interest in doing the experiment. Energy to matter conversion.

So you believe that the universe and all the matter in it just popped into existence from nothing and that a degree is needed to claim this

Lol

The only reason that a law can be smashed is because it never existed

OB, I see you haven't been around long enough yet to realize that facts and reason do not matter or work with Frannie. Frannie lives in an alternate reality of pseudo-insanity where the Moon is a hollow metal ball and believes she was an FBI agent in another life. Frannie is the resident science troll. In her world, even the shadow cast by a sundial is debatable. Must have been too much LSD in grade school.

 

[toobfreak]

Perhaps this is old news for some but this was the first I heard about it, ripping particles from empty space.

“...most alluring, Li says, would be showing that light could tear electrons and their antimatter counterparts, positrons, from empty space—a phenomenon known as "breaking the vacuum." It would be a striking illustration that matter and energy are interchangeable...”

Physicists are planning to build lasers so powerful they could rip apart empty space | Science | AAAS

"That would be very exciting," he says. "It would mean you could generate something from nothing." I kinda had to laugh at that statement. If I'm right, their petawatt laser would be using 5.3 X 10^15th watts in order to produce a few electrons and positrons. Meantime I can get trillions of electrons from a simple AAA battery! And I can get scads of positrons from the simple interaction of the w and z gauge bosons (radioactive decay)! Perhaps my old tritium backlit wristwatch produces them? But I know, it is more exciting to pull them out of empty space (convert energy to matter). Science marches on.

LOL The clown has to be a democrat. That's exactly how electric cars and perpetual motion make so much sense to them. All you have to do is look at the end result then ignore and disregard all the shit that had to happen before. Very similar to their economics and how you can get so much shit for free.

My only original point was that yes, the science is interesting, and who knows, eventually could lead to a Star Trek transporter some day! But the reality for now is that the Chinese are spending untold millions of dollars trying to build a 100 petawatt laser to see if they can dump enough energy into a localized region of space to cause a quantum fluctuation bringing about the formation of a few subatomic particles, something we are already surrounded with X10 to the 999th power while people starve in their streets for lack of food and shelter.

Proof once again where the priorities of mankind are that they find a certain amount of poverty, misery, suffering and death in their world OK so long as it is somebody else.

 

[toobfreak]

I love science with practical application...

Yep. While the Chinese play at trying to create matter in the lab, you can bet the real application here is one really badass new generation of weaponized lasers able to knock stuff out of space like billiard balls in a pool room or punch holes through tanks!

 

[OldBiologist]

Denial is a wonderful thing isn’t it? Just go nah, nah, nah, and cruise right along with you delusion of the day.

Abbe’s law of Diffraction existed for over a century.

Abbe’s Law of Diffraction was broken by Stefan Hell.

Facts.

You can believe anything you want. Fortunately you can’t change facts.

Abbe’s Law of Diffraction had been tested and proven, over and over, probably thousands of times, with the best available knowledge and techniques of the day. The fact you can’t understand the conditional nature of theories and laws in science, doesn’t change what they are, it just merely reveals your ignorance of the topic.

Wow, nice display of ignorance. Try looking up the definition of Laws, theories and hypothesis as used in science. It is science we’re discussing here so those definitions apply.

Here, let me help. Live and learn.

“In general, a scientific law is the description of an observed phenomenon. It doesn't explain why the phenomenon exists or what causes it. The explanation of a phenomenon is called a scientific theory. It is a misconception that theories turn into laws with enough research.

"In science, laws are a starting place," said Peter Coppinger, an associate professor of biology and biomedical engineering at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. "From there, scientists can then ask the questions, 'Why and how?'"”

What Is a Law in Science?

Obviously the law existed. It had to exist to be smashed. I think your confusion is a result of a misunderstanding of what science actually is. It is not a rigid body of knowledge cast in stone. It is an ongoing revelation fueled by expertise and technology subject to constant challenge and revision, hence my qualification of testable, verifiable (repeatable) and falsifiable. If if it cannot be subject to that kind of scrutiny, it is not science, it is hypothesis at best or idol dreaming at worst.

What I believe is that it’s an interesting and testable, verifiable and falsifiable hypothesis. An experiment to test it all has been designed and it is just a matter of developing the technology a bit more to catch up to the experimental design, I look forward to seeing the results. It’s exciting stuff, to me, getting to know the universe we inhabit.

Science is always restless if it’s good science. In my field, Abbe’s Law of Diffraction was the 800 lb gorilla in the room when it came to determining ultimate resolution of optical systems in microscopy. That held for over a century until Stefan Hell smashed the optical resolution barrier, rewrote Abbe’s equations and won a noble prize doing it. The truths science uncovers often depend on certain technology or tools to reveal them. So things change as we grow our smarts and technology.

The only reason that a law can be smashed is because it never existed

What I believe is that it’s an interesting and testable, verifiable and falsifiable hypothesis. An experiment to test it all has been designed and it is just a matter of developing the technology a bit more to catch up to the experimental design, I look forward to seeing the results. It’s exciting stuff, to me, getting to know the universe we inhabit.

Science is always restless if it’s good science. In my field, Abbe’s Law of Diffraction was the 800 lb gorilla in the room when it came to determining ultimate resolution of optical systems in microscopy. That held for over a century until Stefan Hell smashed the optical resolution barrier, rewrote Abbe’s equations and won a noble prize doing it. The truths science uncovers often depend on certain technology or tools to reveal them. So things change as we grow our smarts and technology.

The only reason that a law can be smashed is because it never existed

If the law was smashed it never existed.

Physical laws do not change, only human understanding changes

Actually physical laws are not breakable, so if it was broken it was described in error

Jesus

 

[OldBiologist]

Again, you seem to strikingly ignorant of the subject. You can combine matter and antimatter and this has in fact been done Many times.

“When matter and anti-matter particles collide in high-energy collisions, they turn into energy and produce new particles and antiparticles. At the Fermilab proton-antiproton collider, scientists observe hundreds of millions every day.”

Fermilab scientists find evidence for significant matter-antimatter asymmetry

When matter and antimatter combine, the yield is almost pure energy (remember mass/energy conversion?). Even for a non-scientist, I’m surprised you don’t understand this.

Perhaps this is old news for some but this was the first I heard about it, ripping particles from empty space.

“...most alluring, Li says, would be showing that light could tear electrons and their antimatter counterparts, positrons, from empty space—a phenomenon known as "breaking the vacuum." It would be a striking illustration that matter and energy are interchangeable...”

Physicists are planning to build lasers so powerful they could rip apart empty space | Science | AAAS

That's a long ways off.

IIRC a petawatt is something like 10 to the 15th power watts, and right now I'm not ever sure we could power Doc Brown's delorian and all it needs is 1.5 gigawatts. Again, IIRC (college was a long time ago) a gigawatt is about 1 millionth of a petawatt. Or maybe 1 billionth?

But if that laser were here now could it separate antimatter from matter in a vacuum

Lol

That's the theory.

You can not separate matter and antimatter, because they annihilate each other, which means they can never be together in harmony to be separated. It's not a theory if you understand the properties of matter

 

[OldBiologist]

Oh, I didn’t know. I’m new here. I will bear that in mind from now on. It’s not surprising, they’re everywhere....never understood the appeal in trolling, seems stupid to me.

Wow, nice display of ignorance. Try looking up the definition of Laws, theories and hypothesis as used in science. It is science we’re discussing here so those definitions apply.

Here, let me help. Live and learn.

“In general, a scientific law is the description of an observed phenomenon. It doesn't explain why the phenomenon exists or what causes it. The explanation of a phenomenon is called a scientific theory. It is a misconception that theories turn into laws with enough research.

"In science, laws are a starting place," said Peter Coppinger, an associate professor of biology and biomedical engineering at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. "From there, scientists can then ask the questions, 'Why and how?'"”

What Is a Law in Science?

Obviously the law existed. It had to exist to be smashed. I think your confusion is a result of a misunderstanding of what science actually is. It is not a rigid body of knowledge cast in stone. It is an ongoing revelation fueled by expertise and technology subject to constant challenge and revision, hence my qualification of testable, verifiable (repeatable) and falsifiable. If if it cannot be subject to that kind of scrutiny, it is not science, it is hypothesis at best or idol dreaming at worst.

What I believe is that it’s an interesting and testable, verifiable and falsifiable hypothesis. An experiment to test it all has been designed and it is just a matter of developing the technology a bit more to catch up to the experimental design, I look forward to seeing the results. It’s exciting stuff, to me, getting to know the universe we inhabit.

Science is always restless if it’s good science. In my field, Abbe’s Law of Diffraction was the 800 lb gorilla in the room when it came to determining ultimate resolution of optical systems in microscopy. That held for over a century until Stefan Hell smashed the optical resolution barrier, rewrote Abbe’s equations and won a noble prize doing it. The truths science uncovers often depend on certain technology or tools to reveal them. So things change as we grow our smarts and technology.

The only reason that a law can be smashed is because it never existed

What I believe is that it’s an interesting and testable, verifiable and falsifiable hypothesis. An experiment to test it all has been designed and it is just a matter of developing the technology a bit more to catch up to the experimental design, I look forward to seeing the results. It’s exciting stuff, to me, getting to know the universe we inhabit.

Science is always restless if it’s good science. In my field, Abbe’s Law of Diffraction was the 800 lb gorilla in the room when it came to determining ultimate resolution of optical systems in microscopy. That held for over a century until Stefan Hell smashed the optical resolution barrier, rewrote Abbe’s equations and won a noble prize doing it. The truths science uncovers often depend on certain technology or tools to reveal them. So things change as we grow our smarts and technology.

The only reason that a law can be smashed is because it never existed

If the law was smashed it never existed.

Physical laws do not change, only human understanding changes

Frannie is a troll. He is saying stupid shit on purpose for attention. Don't waste your time.

 

[justoffal]

Perhaps this is old news for some but this was the first I heard about it, ripping particles from empty space.

“...most alluring, Li says, would be showing that light could tear electrons and their antimatter counterparts, positrons, from empty space—a phenomenon known as "breaking the vacuum." It would be a striking illustration that matter and energy are interchangeable...”

Physicists are planning to build lasers so powerful they could rip apart empty space | Science | AAAS

The basic theory behind warp travel is being able to pull open a door in the fabric of space-time and step through it thus avoiding a million years of high-speed travel. I wonder if we have discovered the foundation for that.