Re: Can light be solidified?

I don't think light can be solidified.  One reason is that
photons, the particles of light, have zero rest mass.  As
a result, they always move at the speed of light and you can't
make them sit around in a stationary configuration.  You could
keep them in a box with totally reflecting walls, but that
doesn't seem to be much like a "light saber" to me.  Another
reason is more profound.  The particles that compose
most everyday materials, that is electrons, protons, and neutrons,
belong to a family of particles called "fermions".  The
distinguishing feature of this family is that fermions refuse
to share a common "quantum state".  This means if you try to put
lots of fermions close together, they refuse.  It is the
refusal to pack together that makes familiar solids solid.
Photons, on the other hand, really like to pack together.
If you have "room" for one photon, then you can put any number
of other phtons in the same place.  So anything made of
phtons can't "hold up" stuff, and therfore can't behave like
a solid.