In Praise of the Photon
The human retina was totally designed to detect photons. And that makes sight. In fact, a rod cell in the retina can detect a single photon. It's incredibly sensitive.
Then we have photons shooting down super thin filaments of glass. That's fiber optic cable, which has revolutionized data connection speed on the internet. So a 1 Gigabit internet connection is now routine and cheap.
So what's the next frontier for the photon? It's computing itself. Could photons replace electrons is computer chips? That would be truly amazing. Perhaps even more amazing that quantum computing. So if you want to build an optical computer the first thing you need to do is develop a photon transistor.
Now a research group says they have done just that.. photon gates
And let's not forget Quantum Mechanics. Photons are spin 1 bosons, while electrons are spin 1/2 fermions. Meaning photons play by a whole different set of rules than electrons.
Content written and posted by Ken Abbott abbottsystems@gmail.com