The Nobel Prize in Physics 2022 was awarded to three scientists for their pioneering contributions to understanding quantum entanglement. This phenomenon is incredibly mysterious and can be confusing even for experts. It means that two particles, like electrons or photons, are connected no matter how far apart they are or what’s between them.
The weird thing about quantum entanglement is that, even though two particles might be millions of miles apart, if you measure something about one particle in the pair, you instantaneously know something about the other. Albert Einstein dubbed this “spooky action at a distance.” It’s as if these two particles have an inexplicable bond despite being so far apart.
Until the 1970s, researchers weren’t sure if quantum entanglement was real. Even Einstein had doubts about it. It took new technology and scientists who were brave enough to investigate further before we could finally get to the bottom of such a phenomenon.
So, let’s embark on this journey to unravel the mysteries of quantum entanglement and understand its profound implications in the realm of physics and beyond.
What is Quantum Entanglement?
Quantum entanglement is a phenomenon in which two particles are correlated regardless of their distance from one another. This means that when the physical properties or “states” of one particle change, instantaneously and simultaneously, the other particle will also adopt this same state despite being at a distant location. Intuitively speaking, it appears as though the entangled particles are connected like links on a chain. Each ring instantly communicates its gravitational pull to all nearby rings beyond physical contact.
The correlation between two entangled particles has been observed to exceed mere coincidences. It surpasses all laws of physics that govern physical interactions occurring in a local space. Due to the Theory of Relativity, which states that nothing can travel faster than light, these instantaneous changes cannot be explained using conventional methods. So, this leaves us with non-local correlations, which are effectively an instantaneous connection between two states, even if they may be far apart from each other spatially.
Quantum Entanglement: An Exact Definition
Quantum entanglement is an amazing phenomenon in quantum physics where particles like photons, electrons, atoms, or molecules remain connected even if they are separated by long distances. In other words, when these objects interact physically, the individual states of each particle become linked, and this connection remains even when their physical separation increases. This type of connection is made possible through what quantum mechanics calls an invisible “entangling force.”
When it comes to particles, when you have multiple degrees of freedom present in a system, they can exist together at the same time in more than one form. Think of an electron that orbits around its nucleus. Instead of staying strictly in one state or the other, it is existing in both states simultaneously until we measure it and observe its outcome. This means that even if two particles are very far apart from one another, they will still be linked through their relationship of entanglement. So, observing something about one particle will tell us something about the other.
The History of Quantum Entanglement
The study of Quantum Entanglement dates back to 1935 when Albert Einstein, Boris Podolsky, and Nathan Rosen first postulated the phenomenon in their famous paper, Can Quantum-Mechanical Description of Physical Reality Be Considered Complete? They proposed a thought experiment that questioned whether quantum particles could remain correlated even after separation. This sparked decades of research into understanding the implications of entanglement in terms of physics and computer science.
Several key thinkers since then have made seminal contributions such as John Bell, Michael Freedman, and Stephen Wiesner amongst others. The theoretical aspects were developed extensively due to these pioneers and gave us a deeper insight into entangled systems.
Einstein and others theorized the concept of entanglement, but it took decades for experimentation to take place. Finally, in 1993, Claudio Maccone proposed that entangled states could communicate faster than the speed of light, which was remarkable considering what relativity has taught us. In 2003, Hans Briegel made a breakthrough with his Identification Protocol. Then, Nicolas Gisin et al. continued research in 2005 on reliably creating remote qubits. Florentin Maunz quickly followed suit by using optical laser pulses controlled through atoms or ions within traps to extend microwave measurements in 2014.
Our knowledge of entangled systems has grown rapidly in the past few years. We have gone from using it to improve computing algorithms to researching and trying to develop a quantum internet. An example of this is Syegeforce, which was showcased in 2019 and focuses on analyzing networks across multiple platforms, allowing information from distributed computers to remain safe due to security protocols provided by cryptography. These types of cryptographic devices can increase computational speeds far beyond what we were previously able to reach. It’s only with improved hardware becoming more cost-effective that we are now closer to making Einstein’s ideas possible.
How Does Quantum Entanglement Work?
Quantum entanglement is a strange but real phenomenon in which two small particles form an unusually strong connection known as quantum correlation. They become linked regardless of how far away they are from each other — even if one particle is on Earth while the other is light-years away. This means that when something happens to one of them, like measurement or manipulation, the same thing will happen to its entangled partner no matter how much space separates them.
The key to this linkage lies in their wave function — a mathematical expression based on probability theory that fully describes a quantum system. Entangled particles have matching “signatures,” so whatever affects one particle affects its counterpart too — even across interstellar distances. In some cases, measurements made on any aspect of either photon can affect the properties of the others simultaneously.
Finally, one of the most mysterious aspects of entanglement is referred to as “non-locality.” In simple terms, this means that upon measurement or interaction with one entangled particle, the other will become correlated instantly, no matter how far apart they are in space and time. Physicists currently understand these principles at a theoretical level, but their application spans far into industry and research alike.
What Are the Applications of Quantum Entanglement?
Quantum Cryptography
Quantum cryptography is a type of encryption method that utilizes entangled quantum bits (qubits). This system capitalizes on the principles of quantum entanglement, where two-qubit particles remain connected even when separated by distance. It’s more secure than existing cryptographic methods, as any attempt to gain access or disrupt the link causes detectable distortion, which will alert both the sender and receiver of a transmission.
When applied correctly, this provides an unbreakable level of security for users and has potential applications in sectors such as healthcare IT, banking systems, military communications, IoT networks, and more. Examples include protocols like BB84 protocol, which allows data transfer through polarization states, and Ekert protocol, which uses entangled photons to communicate securely. The possibilities with quantum cryptography are endless. Many forms of research on how these technologies can be utilized further are currently underway.
Quantum Computing
This is a revolutionary form of computation based on quantum mechanics. It harnesses quantum phenomena such as superposition and entanglement to solve complex problems that are currently unfeasible using traditional computers. The core component of this advanced type of computing is the use of entangled particles, known as qubits.
Quantum entanglement allows for certain properties or states to be linked together, meaning any changes in one particle will immediately affect the other regardless of their distance from each other. This phenomenon provides an immense benefit to computations due to its ability to spread information across a dynamic network without compromising security. As a result, it has wide applications including cryptography, medical imaging, intelligent algorithms for autonomous vehicles/robots, and machine learning.
Sensing and Imaging
Sensing and imaging use quantum entanglement to measure incredibly small signals or entities, with a precision beyond what is available from classical techniques. Entangled states improve the accuracy of measurements by allowing for more information to be released in each measurement than would be possible without it. This improved precision can then be used to detect and quantify very small changes within a given system, thus providing much finer detail than traditional sensors could.
Quantum entanglement has applications in fields such as medical imaging, spectroscopy, microscopy, optical communications, and security systems. In addition, technological advances have enabled researchers to explore its application in studying mesoscopic systems, including cells for healthcare applications.
Quantum Metrology
This is a subfield of quantum mechanics focused on the use of quantum technologies to increase accuracy and precision beyond what is possible with classical techniques. It exploits principles such as entanglement, superposition, and interference to achieve its goal. Entangled states are employed in this by creating an interdependent system between non-interacting parts so that the measurement of one part can give information about the other as well. This has been used to create exceptionally sensitive instruments for measurements like gravitational wave detection and atomic clocks where greater accuracy is needed. Furthermore, entangled particles operate on molecules at scales much smaller than with traditional metrological techniques. That allows for ground-breaking advances in nanotechnology, material science, and bio-sensing applications, which greatly expands their usefulness.
Quantum Teleportation
Quantum teleportation is a process in which information about a quantum state such as the position, momentum, and spin of a particle can be transferred from one location to another using entanglement. This method makes use of an entangled pair consisting of two particles that are connected even when located far apart. Entangled states allow for the instantaneous transfer of information between locations without any physical communication or movement between them.
Quantum teleportation protocols make use of special operations on both entangled particles simultaneously, along with the classical communication channel between them. Experiments have shown that it is possible to accurately teleport certain properties such as energy and angular momentum over distances up to 10 km away. Potential applications range from communication and encryption to quantum computing, networking, and fault-tolerant distributed systems.
Fundamental Tests of Quantum Mechanics
Quantum mechanics is a branch of physics that postulates that the behavior of matter and energy components can best be explained at the atomic and subatomic levels. It is based on principles such as wave‐particle duality, uncertainty, randomness, non-locality, entanglement, and superposition. Experimental tests have been devised to test these postulates, with quantum entanglement being one of them. Bell’s inequality serves as a fundamental tool in these experiments by testing local realism’s incompatibility with quantum mechanical predictions. These experiments are important for verifying fundamental concepts in nature.
Benefits of Quantum Entanglement
Quantum entanglement is a phenomenon that occurs between two particles in which the quantum states of each particle from a pair are correlated. This means that, when one particle in an entangled state experiences a change, its partner situated at any distance instantly experiences the same effect and changes as well. The following are some benefits of quantum entanglement:
- Fast Communication: Quantum entanglement can be used to create networks wherein information can travel faster than traditional communication methods. As mentioned before, pairs of entangled particles respond instantly regardless of distant separation. That makes it possible for points on such networks to communicate almost instantaneously throughout long distances and even across different regions.
- Enhanced Security: A heavily private feature associated with quantum networks revolves around its indomitability to hacks. Since there would not exist a possibility of visual recognition or disruption, eavesdroppers monitoring communications could never breach confidential data being transferred from point A to B. Hackers will get noticed by automatic verification mechanisms within these protected networks.
- Improved Measurements: Reliability over remote connections is high in quantum entanglement, due to its flawless avoidance of physical obstacles or noise contamination, enabling researchers to make more precise measurements than ever before alongside conventional measurement operations.
- High-Precision Computational Power: Quantum computing is predicted to become one of the biggest breakthroughs since that of regular computers. It’s capable of solving large problems in much lesser time than classical machines.
Final Thoughts
Quantum entanglement is a mechanical phenomenon in which two particles become linked together, regardless of the distance between them. When the state of one particle changes, the other particle will instantly change as well.
This phenomenon was famously referred to as “spooky action at a distance,” by Albert Einstein. This occurs even when the particles are separated by space-time distances and display non-locality; it cannot be explained via classical physics.
Quantum entanglement can be used for various applications such as instantaneous communication, secure encryption keys, and teleportation to break light-speed limits. Its significance lies in its potential to revolutionize both communications and computing. Research continues to understand how it works on larger scales with more than two particles entangled simultaneously.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©JLStock/Shutterstock.com.