[Advaita-l] "Darkness" from modern quantum physics standpoint is not abhAva-rUpA

[Raghav Kumar Dwivedula]

Namaste

What is "darkness" from a quantum physics standpoint?

>From a quantum physics standpoint, "darkness" is not simply the absence of
light, but rather a state of minimal non-zero photon presence. In other
words, darkness is the minimal but non-zero presence of electromagnetic
radiation in the visible spectrum.

Quantum mechanics describes light as particles called photons, which are
excitations of the electromagnetic field. Even when no photons are directly
observed, the electromagnetic field is in still in its ground state of flux
with particle pairs spontaneously created and destroyed. Rarely one of
these particles can interact with other non-light particles too.  This
particular state is what we perceive as darkness. It's a state of minimal
(non-zero) quantum fluctuations of matter and energy in the electromagnetic
field.

Some interesting aspects of darkness from a quantum perspective:

1. Vacuum fluctuations: Even in complete darkness, quantum fluctuations can
still occur, leading to temporary and random appearances of photon pairs.
These fluctuations are never wholly absent.
2. Quantum entanglement: Darkness can be entangled, meaning that the
absence of photons in one region can be connected to the absence of photons
in another region.
3. Darkness as a quantum state: Researchers have explored the idea of
treating darkness as a quantum state, similar to other quantum states like
superposition or entanglement.

Darkness is an avasthA-visheSha, a particular state of matter where mass
and energy are minimal.

So we cannot invoke modern science to support the idea that darkness is
abhAva.
Common sense or figurative usage alone says darkness is abhAva of light.
(of the kind which says, the Sun rises in the east and the earth is flat
and darkness is the absence of light), but not upon scientific analysis.

Om
Raghav