LET THERE BE LIGHT

Quantum dot mixture takes LED lighting to a new level

Quantum dots -- crystals generally only a few nanometers big -- contain anywhere from 100 to 1000 electrons. They're easily excited bundles of energy, and the smaller they are, the more excited they get. Each dot in Bower's particular batch was exceptionally small, containing only 33 or 34 pairs of atoms.
When you shine a light on quantum dots or apply electricity to them, they react by producing their own light, normally a bright, vibrant color. But when Bowers shined a laser on his batch of dots, something unexpected happened.
"I was surprised when a white glow covered the table," Bowers said. "The quantum dots were supposed to emit blue light, but instead they were giving off a beautiful white glow."

[How about light-emitting paints or materials? Alleged alien abductees often describe rooms that are filled with light even though there is no discernible light source.]