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So it's turning light into electrons? Isn't that already done with solar panels?

No, solar panels turn light into the change of energy state of an existing electron. This is why they operate at the characteristic band gap voltage of the semiconductor from which they are made.

This experiment is about creating an entirely new electron/positron pair.

Solar panels wouldn't be the ideal use of this ability if it were made real, would they? I haven't looked through the full article yet, but would this new approach help overcome the problem of Carnot's theorem in any way?

Carnot's theorem is irrelevant to solar cells, as they aren't expanding-fluid-driven heat engines.

Multijunction cells are the way to go for increased W/m^2, but are very bad W/$ at the moment.

Solar panels add momentum to existing electrons.

This is actually quite exciting.

I see what you did there.

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