Scientists Reveal the First-Ever Image of a Photon’s Shape

Scientists have visualised the shape of a single photon for the first time, offering an unprecedented glimpse into the mysterious world of quantum mechanics. Researchers at the University of Birmingham created this visualisation through precise calculations of the photon’s wave function, capturing its intensity distribution as it’s emitted by an atom.

Photons, the fundamental particles of light, play a crucial role in our daily lives. They carry the information that allows us to see, whether through our eyes or through cameras, as they bounce off objects and reach our retinas or sensors. Despite their pivotal function, photons have remained enigmatic, especially when it comes to their own visualisation.

Unlike ordinary objects that can be photographed or directly observed, photons are quantum particles whose location and behaviour are defined by probabilities. The Birmingham researchers’ breakthrough came in mapping the “intensity distribution” of a photon. This map indicates where the particle is most likely to appear at any given moment, with brighter areas representing higher probabilities.

The team’s work also demonstrates how the photon’s wave function, an abstract quantum property, contains all the information about its intensity distribution even before it is detected.T