For the first time, scientists have captured phase singularities or optical vortices moving faster than the speed of light. These phenomena, known as dark holes, do not break relativity since they carry no mass or information. Researchers at Technion used electron interferometry in hexagonal boron nitride, a slow-moving light field material, to observe the vortices' behavior and collision patterns. The study published in Nature advances understanding of wave dynamics and improves electron microscopy techniques.
The apparatus used to generate and record the optical vortices. (Kaminer et al., Nature, 2026)