Scientists may have finally caught “empty” space changing light
A magnetar with an astonishingly powerful magnetic field may have revealed a quantum effect predicted by Werner Heisenberg nearly 90 years ago. Its light shows signs that supposedly empty space is altering how the light travels, potentially providing the first evidence of vacuum birefringence.
Nearly a century ago, physicist Werner Heisenberg theorized a phenomenon called vacuum birefringence, wherein empty space may alter the behavior of light. Despite advances in quantum physics since the 1930s, scientists have yet to confirm this effect conclusively. A recent study suggests that observations of a magnetar—a type of neutron star with intense magnetic fields—may provide the evidence needed to verify Heisenberg's prediction.
A team of researchers from various institutions studied the magnetar 1E 1547.0-5408, employing the Murriyang radio telescope and other advanced instruments. Their findings indicate that the magnetar's magnetic and rotational axes align closely, and the X-ray polarization observed aligns with its magnetic field, suggesting the presence of vacuum birefringence.
While more observations and simulations are needed to confirm this, the discovery could open new avenues for studying quantum physics in extreme conditions.
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