科学家可能首次获得了真空双折射（vacuum birefringence）的观测证据，从而验证了Werner Heisenberg在近90年前预言的量子效应1。这项由乔治·华盛顿大学（George Washington University）物理研究生Rachael E. Stewart领导的研究成果，于2026年8月26日发表在《自然》（Nature）杂志第656卷第8128期（页码590，DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10859-z）上1。
在研究中，科学家利用CSIRO的Murriyang（Parkes）射电望远镜以及NASA的IXPE和NICER X射线望远镜，对磁星1E 1547.0-5408（1E1547）的无线电和X射线偏振进行了观测1。观测结果显示，该磁星的光波偏振方向与其磁场高度对齐1。探测真空双折射所需的磁场强度超过地球实验室能产生磁场的1亿倍，此次针对磁星的观测为这一量子效应提供了观测证据1。参与该研究的主体还包括Marcus Lower以及斯威本科技大学（Swinburne University of Technology）、NASA和CSIRO等机构1。
Researchers have potentially secured the first observational evidence of vacuum birefringence through their study of the magnetar 1E 1547.0-5408 1. This quantum phenomenon was originally theorized by Werner Heisenberg nearly 90 years ago 1. The investigation was led by Rachael E. Stewart, a physics graduate student at George Washington University, and the findings were published in Nature on August 26, 2026 1. By analyzing both the radio and X-ray polarization of the magnetar, the scientists observed that the polarization direction of its light waves is highly aligned with its magnetic field 1.
Detecting vacuum birefringence requires a magnetic field strength exceeding 100 million times that which can be generated in Earth-based laboratories 1. To conduct these observations, the team utilized CSIRO's Murriyang (Parkes) radio telescope alongside NASA's IXPE and NICER X-ray telescopes 1. The collaborative research involved contributors from George Washington University, Swinburne University of Technology, NASA, and CSIRO, including Marcus Lower 1. The complete study is published in Nature, Volume 656, Issue 8128, page 590, with the DOI 10.1038/s41586-026-10859-z 1.
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