University of Calgary

Jump
to Headline

Jump
to Navigation

Jump
to Content

Jump
to Footer

RSS

Facebook

Twitter

Home

Prospective
Students

Current
Students

Alumni

Community

Faculty &
Staff

Search UofC:

IT

HR

My U of C

Contacts

Site Navigation

News

Events

Media
Centre

Publications

News

UToday

Submitting a
story

UToday
Guidelines

2013

January
2013

February 2013

February 1,
2013

February 4,
2013

February 5,
2013

February 6,
2013

February 7,
2013

February 8,
2013

February 11,
2013

February 12,
2013

Serious
addictions start sooner

Researchers
explore quantum entanglement

3XN
architects: A Danish approach to design

Showcasing
the Doucette Historical Collection

February 13,
2013

February 14,
2013

February 15,
2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

OnCampus
Archives

News
Releases

Media
Statements

Media
Advisories

Public Service
Announcements

Slide
Shows

UThisWeek

U
Magazine

Dinos

Videos

Researchers explore quantum entanglement

February 12, 2013

Share
|

Albert Einstein called quantum entanglement — two particles in
different locations, even on other sides of the universe, influencing each
other — “spooky action at a distance."

Einstein made the comment while criticizing quantum mechanics as
incomplete. The phenomenon of quantum entanglement seems to be at odds
with Einstein's theory of relativity.

“Eighty years after Einstein, quantum physics is still so mysterious
that there are many different interpretations of its physical meaning. All
the interpretations agree on what is going to be observed in any given
experiment, but they each tell different stories of how these observations
come about,” says Christoph Simon with the Department of Physics and
Astronomy in the Faculty of Science at the University of Calgary.

Simon and his colleague, Boris Braverman from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology have shown this spooky action at a distance in
research published in Physical
Review Letters. The paper proposes a way in which the effect can be
shown experimentally.

“We consider spooky action at a distance in the framework of an
interpretation from the English physicist David Bohm who posited that
every quantum particle has a well-defined position and velocity,” says
Simon.

“If the two particles are entangled, then performing an action on one
has an immediate effect on the other, and our paper shows how this effect
can be demonstrated in an experiment with entangled photons.”

Entangled photons present an exciting new method of secure
communications — it’s impossible for people to listen in. But this
phenomenon can’t be used for communication faster than the speed of light
(what physicists call superluminal), allowing quantum physical systems to
obey Einstein's theory of relativity, which posits that things can’t
communicate faster than light.

There is either no explanation for this — it’s magic and somehow there
are the same outcomes on each side — or the communication between photons
is superluminal, which is problematic given the theory of relativity.

“There has to be a way out,” says Simon.

“Different pairs of particles coming from the same source have slightly
different positions and velocities. If you observe just one of the two
particles from a pair, you can’t be sure if a variation in its velocity,
say, is due to the long-distance influence of its partner, or whether it
is just a statistical fluctuation. In this way the peaceful coexistence of
quantum physics and relativity is
preserved.”

Quick Links

News Releases

Media
Kit

Identity Standards

Style Guide

Events

University of Calgary
2500 University Dr. NW
Calgary, Alberta,
Canada
T2N 1N4

Copyright © 2013
Privacy
Policy

About the University

At a Glance

Identity &
Standards

Campus Maps

Hotel Alma

Careers at the
University

Events at the
University

Academics

Departments
& Programs

Undergraduate
Studies

Graduate Studies

International
Studies

Continuing Studies

Libraries at the
University

Campus Life

Go Dinos!

Residence, Hotel &
Conference

Active Living

Bookstore

Graduate Students' Association

Students' Union

Media & Publications

News

Media Centre

U Today

U This Week

U Magazine

University
Calendar