Quantum Entanglement, Dark Counts, Coincidence Detection

[caraher]

16. In chemistry they worry a lot about "technique"

It all depends on your learning goals... if you're training a chemist a big part of the job is getting students to be good at handling chemicals, etc.

What's nice about the quantum optics labs for this is that a lot of the preparation time goes into aligning things or, if the count rates are low, simply collecting data. Neither of these time-sucks are terrifically educational in themselves, so if you can start with a pre-aligned system and you can just do something else while the counters are a-counting, experimenter interaction with the system can be more focused on things like setting polarized angles and analyzing data.

I think it's always best to be hands-on, live, touching the actual equipment. But doing things on the internet can really open up opportunities for schools with fewer resources and for amateur scientists, anywhere in the world.