Turkish professor proves Einstein’s ‘photon theory,’ for which he received the Nobel Prize

• Prof. Dr. Fahrettin Yakuphanoğlu of Firat University’s Physics Department has demonstrated Einstein’s ‘photon theory’ regarding the nature of light, proposed 119 years ago, through a nanotechnological system he developed.

Professor Fahrettin Yakuphanoğlu, a faculty member of the Physics Department at Firat University, developed a nanotechnology system to prove Einstein’s ‘photon theory’ about the nature of light, which was put forward 119 years ago. With the system he created, Dr. Yakuphanoğlu visibly proved Einstein’s theory that light exhibits both particle and wave behavior.

Establishing a High Technology company in Firat Technopolis, Dr. Fahrettin Yakuphanoğlu, a faculty member of Firat University’s Physics Department, developed a nanotechnological system named ‘quantum particle detector’ to prove the photon theory proposed by the Nobel laureate German physicist Einstein in 1905. Using his developed system, he successfully sent a beam of light from a source into a substance through a sensor, and was able to visualize on a computer screen the energy wave packets of photons that make up the light spreading in the environment. Dr. Yakuphanoğlu stated that scientists, based on Einstein’s photon theory, have been conducting various experiments to observe that light behaves both as particles called photons and as waves.

“I have succeeded in visualizing the photon with the Quantum Particle Detector device” Dr. Yakuphanoğlu mentioned that the most famous experiment related to this is the “Double Slit” experiment proposed by physicist Thomas Young in 1803. He said, “The system I have developed is a device that I have particularly developed in the field of quantum physics. My interest in this device stems from the scientific studies I have conducted recently in the field of electro-optics and photonics. As is known, light exhibits particle or wave behavior. In order to truly prove whether light is composed of particles, I decided to develop a new device. As it is known, in 1905, Einstein suggested that light could have a particle structure. Later, Arthur Compton, who supported this, introduced the concept of particles into physics through his research. Gathering the necessary theoretical information about this, Einstein published his first article in a German magazine. He stated, ‘Light does not have a continuous motion form, it has a discrete particle form.’ What we call a discrete particle is the quanta of electromagnetic waves, and we call it a photon. The particle structure of light remained in theory for many years, and it could not be experimentally observed in any way that light spread in the form of photons. Initially, the wave structure of light was proven with the ‘Double Slit’ experiment. However, the double slit experiment did not show that light spread in the form of photons or wave packets. I have been working for many years on how I can experimentally prove that light is composed of photons and how I can develop a device for this. Recently, with the Quantum Particle Detector device I developed, I succeeded in visualizing the photon,” he said.

1  |  1

“The reason for this study is to prove Einstein’s famous theory” Providing information about his studies, Yakuphanoğlu said, “In my studies, I decided to develop a device that can truly prove how light spreads discreetly in a substance, and how I can visualize it. I named it Quantum Particle Detector. The concept of a photon is important because now photonics devices are being produced more than electronic devices. Photonic devices have higher speed compared to electronic devices. They have faster detection and imaging features. Therefore, by using them, we can develop new technological devices that can detect or communicate data very quickly. Einstein proposed this theory in 1905 and later wrote and published an article about it. For about 100 years, experiments were conducted on its reality, but we could not truly see the photon. Recently, a French scientist built a photon room. In this experiment, it could not be shown, as we did, that the photon spread in the form of wave packets. The reason for me to do this study is to prove Einstein’s famous theory and to introduce the concept of photonic devices to technology,” he said.

“Photonic devices will replace electronic devices” Stating that the photon detection system he developed will contribute to the development of new generation devices and tools with photonic technology, Yakuphanoğlu said, “Now we can easily explain this theory to a high school or middle school student or a young person in university after understanding the concept of a photon. After understanding the concept of a photon, we can now produce advanced technology. Currently, we are producing electronic devices based on electrons. The particles that will move within the electronic devices we will produce will be photons. The speed of light is very fast, such as 300 thousand kilometers per second. Therefore, we will be able to transfer data from one point to another very quickly and perform imaging processes very quickly. One distinguishing difference between electron and photon is that the electron has mass, but the photon does not. In other words, it has no kinetic energy. If there is no mass, there is only speed. In the future, slim screens, monitors, and computer screens will be very thin. In the coming years, there will be no need for heating; we can cover the windows of your homes with transparent plastic that allows light to pass through and heat your homes,” he concluded.

1  |  6

2  |  6

3  |  6

4  |  6

5  |  6

6  |  6

Kaynak: İHA