Information teleported between atoms "SPOOKY"

[underpants]

Scientists take 'spooky' step toward more powerful computers

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5225655/


In a step toward making ultra-powerful computers, scientists have transferred physical characteristics between atoms by using a phenomenon so bizarre that even Albert Einstein called it spooky.

Such "quantum teleportation" of characteristics had been demonstrated before between beams of light.

The work with atoms is "a landmark advance," H.J. Kimble of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., and S.J. van Enk of Bell Labs in Murray Hill, N.J., declare in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.


His work involved transmitting characteristics between pairs of beryllium atoms, while the Austrian work used pairs of calcium atoms. Each atom's "quantum state," a complex combination of traits, was transmitted to its counterpart.

[ewagner]

1. "Strangeness at a distance"

I think that's what Einstein said....and he was right!

[papau]

2. Faster than light speed?

Religion requires less "faith"

:-)

[patcox2]

4. An example of the ineffable.

We are certainly a bit hubristic when we think we are capable of knowing everything, aren't we?

[patcox2]

3. I don't think this is new, I had heard years ago of similar.

I think it was referred to as instantaneous communication. The way I had heard (I was hanging around with a pair of research physicists that day, long story), it went like this. When this one particular sub-atomic particle breaks down, it always divides into two particles with opposite characterstics, say a muon with left hand spin and a muon with right hand spin. (its not necessarily muons, I just like that word, and its not necessarily spin, but its some characteristic that has two poles, two forms) What physicists have found is that if you take these two muons and separate them, and change the spin of one of them, the spin of the other one will instantaneously change, so that you stil have one with left spin and one with right spin. Like the universe demands this particular symmetry. But the thing is it happens instantaneously; thus the information that the spin of the one has changed travels to the other faster than the speed of light.

I remember that there was talk of a theory of interconnectedness, that the two particles are somehoe still conected wven when they are apart.

I think this goes back decades.

[TrogL]

5. It's called Quantum Entanglement

The theory has been around for a long time. It's the concept behind LeGuin's "ansible".

Now they've actually got it working.

The problemw was that Moore's law was going to hit a roadblock - the speed of light.

I'd love to know how they're going to control which atom gets entangled - the one on the other side of your CPU or one inside the core of Betelgeuse.

[papau]

8. LOL - Betelgeuse appeals to only charmed quarks - I thought everyone

knew that!

:toast:

:-)

[LynzM]

6. That's what this made me think of,

Though I'm not sure this is exactly the same thing? I'll be curious to see what happens with this. Either way, instantaneous change over vast distances is pretty 'spooky'!

There are so many things in the universe that we don't understand yet... :D

[papau]

7. Quantum Entanglement Speed of light w/lasers could be explained

by probability field overlap - so information was not really being exchanged faster than light even though the experiment had a push button to start design.

The action at a distance Quantum Entanglement could be explained by saying no real information could be exchanged - so the speed of information was not exceeding the speed of light (these experiments go back to the 50's and a fellow in the early 60's named BELL is the guy you should google).

This is the first time I have seen an experiment with a "go" button that claimed information exchange faster than light - or at least that is how it is being presented in the popular media.

I suspect it will be a variation of probability field overlap when all is said and done - and useless as to faster than light information exchange - but if the media write up is correct - THIS IS A WOW!

It could/will - no matter what - be a giant step towards qm computing.