By definition, elementary particles can't be broken into smaller pieces. But in a new theoretical study published in Physical Review Letters, Johannes Skaar and colleagues have revealed what would happen if you tried anyway for a single photon. The answer is deeply strange: attempting to cut a photon in two wouldn't produce two smaller photons, but instead conjure an infinite number of them out of thin air.
“Hey math that represents the universe, what would happen if I did this thing you say is impossible?”
“Well, looking at the math you just broke, which represents the universe, it seems like it would break the universe.”
“Wild!”