Light - future directions of research (1 Viewer)

[porcupinetree]

One of the questions I must answer for my upcoming assessment (concerning the photoelectric effect and the particle model of light) asks:

Regarding light, what are some possible future directions of Physics research?

Here's what I have so far:

Classically, light was considered to be a wave by the likes of Euler and Young, but Einstein changed the scientific thinking concerning light in 1905 with his paper on the photoelectric effect, in which he expanded Planck’s concept of the particle model of light. This led to the idea of the wave-particle duality of light: modern quantum physics accepts light as, in one sense, both a particle and a wave, and in another sense, neither a particle nor a wave, but something that we cannot yet fully describe using current mathematics and knowledge. Hence future directions of physics research may require new branches of mathematics and concepts in order to reclassify light and describe it in one complete theory.

The question also specifies to have evidence of research, however my attempts to find possible future directions through research have not been very fruitful.

Does anyone have any suggestions for what else I could include?

 

[InteGrand]

One of the questions I must answer for my upcoming assessment (concerning the photoelectric effect and the particle model of light) asks:

Regarding light, what are some possible future directions of Physics research?

Here's what I have so far:

Classically, light was considered to be a wave by the likes of Euler and Young, but Einstein changed the scientific thinking concerning light in 1905 with his paper on the photoelectric effect, in which he expanded Planck’s concept of the particle model of light. This led to the idea of the wave-particle duality of light: modern quantum physics accepts light as, in one sense, both a particle and a wave, and in another sense, neither a particle nor a wave, but something that we cannot yet fully describe using current mathematics and knowledge. Hence future directions of physics research may require new branches of mathematics and concepts in order to reclassify light and describe it in one complete theory.

The question also specifies to have evidence of research, however my attempts to find possible future directions through research have not been very fruitful.

Does anyone have any suggestions for what else I could include?

Maybe try searching for things related to quantum optics: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_optics

I think the 2012 Physics Nobel Prize was based on the interaction between light and matter, in the area of quantum optics. (Further reading: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2012/index.html, http://theconversation.com/the-2012-nobel-prize-in-physics-explained-10085 )