A trio of photons emitted seven billion years ago from a gamma ray burst threaten to scrap decades of research by theoretical physicists.

Gamma rays are high-energy photons produced by some of the most violent events in the universe. Photons of light are massless particles that are essentially packets of energy.

1. Photons can produce shock waves in water or air, similar to sonic booms. Nothing can travel faster than the speed of light in a vacuum. However, light slows down in air, water, glass and other ...

Exceptionally powerful X-ray jets have been detected emanating from two supermassive black holes. These cosmic structures date back to a time when the Universe was still young. These discoveries, ...

For the first time, researchers have seen how light behaves during a mysterious phenomenon called 'imaginary time'.

Now, this same black hole is once again captivating scientists with an extraordinary gamma-ray flare that’s emitted photons hundreds of billions of times more powerful than visible light.

The phosphors convert X-rays passing through the patient to visible light photons, which are immediately converted to photoelectrons by a photocathode made of cesium and antimony.

Photons are odd little beasts. They can act like waves. They can act like particles. They are teeny tiny messengers of force. They are carriers of energy. But most of all, they’re light. When ...

What is even more peculiar about this ultra-energetic light is that it is separate from the other gamma-ray emissions, suggesting that the higher-energy photons are not caused by the mechanisms ...

A trio of photons emitted seven billion years ago from a gamma ray burst threaten to scrap decades of research by theoretical physicists.