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First Evidence of Vacuum Birefringence | Science News
Scientists may have just captured the first direct evidence of vacuum birefringence — a quantum phenomenon predicted by Heisenberg nearly 90 years ago. Using NASA’s X-ray telescope and Australian radio telescopes, researchers studied the magnetar 1E 1547, whose trillion-times-stronger-than-Earth magnetic field acts as a cosmic lab. They observed unprecedented X-ray polarization locked to the magnetar’s magnetic field — exactly what theory predicts if virtual particles in empty space are twisting light. If confirmed, this discovery could revolutionize our understanding of quantum physics under…
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