[olePigeon]

Quantum information teleported from light to matter - Yahoo! News

When you get into Quantum Physics and Special Relativity, things get really, really, really weird.

One of the weird things that Einstein (and actually Newton, apparently -- a different story) had a hard time grasping was Spooky Action at a Distance. Atoms would seemingly "teleport" from one space to another nearly instantly. Electrons themselves could "teleport" vast distances nearly instantly (and seemingly faster than light.)

Atoms spin, like a top, clockwise (anti-matter counter-clockwise). Depending on the axis, it'll spin up, down, or sometimes both. Yep, it can exist in two different states simultaneously. Like I said, weird. Which, coincidently, makes it perfect for computers. You can have a bit (or a quantum bit, as is the case) that can spin 1 (up), 0 (down), or both 1 and 0 at the same time.

Now this part is going to be even weirder: Atomic particles don't actually exist (or, arguably, exist and don't exist at the same time) until you physically observe them. They're in a constant state of uncertainty and probability until you actually observe it, then the probability that it exists winds down to a certain state.

Assuming your brain isn't fried after reading that, here's an extremely laymen example of how "teleportion" works of complete atomic particles (atoms): Imagine you put an atom in a box and observe its spin, then you close the box. Remember the part about it not existing (or also not existing) until you open the box and look at it? Well, they shine a laser from the box you put the atom in, to another box across the room and make a pathway. You walk across the room, then open the other box and "observe" an atom with the exact same spin as the first atom.

Since the two atoms can't share an identical spin at the same time, it would appear that the first atom's properties have transfered to the new atom over the laser. A quantum Fax, if you will, an exact duplicate (spin and all) of the first atom at the speed of light.

[analogika]

http://forums.macnn.com/89/macnn-lou...elp-commuters/

[Dakar]

Eat my dust pigeon!

[olePigeon]

Bah. I didn't read yours because of the title.

[Dakar]

Originally Posted by olePigeon

Bah. I didn't read yours because of the title.

Screw the title!

"When you see Dakar on the label, you know you're getting quality."

[turtle777]

What's new. This stuff has been talked about in science magazines for years now.

-t

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by what_the_heck

What's new. This stuff has been talked about in science magazines for years now.

-t

A single atom has been transfered, but not an entire atomic structure. This is new.

[Cold Warrior]

It'd be cool if they had a video.

[screamingFit]

I picked up some talks on DVD done by different smarty-pants physicists and after about five minutes, I was slack-jawed and my brain completely fried. The ideas that develop in your brain once you start grasping hold are immense. The whole "science" is scary and exhillirating and makes me wish I could hang out on this planet for about 100 years to see where this goes.

I hate to drag religion into this - as others have done (i.e. the film, "What the Bleep") - but I seriously think that this science is bigger than Gawd.

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by screamingFit

I picked up some talks on DVD done by different smarty-pants physicists and after about five minutes, I was slack-jawed and my brain completely fried. The ideas that develop in your brain once you start grasping hold are immense. The whole "science" is scary and exhillirating and makes me wish I could hang out on this planet for about 100 years to see where this goes.

I hate to drag religion into this - as others have done (i.e. the film, "What the Bleep") - but I seriously think that this science is bigger than Gawd.

I'm a huge science nut and I can grasp the concepts around most anything, but not any of the actual mathematics or whatever. I'm completely retarded with it comes to math, unfortunately. I wish I had a good enough brain to really be able to understand the math behind so much of the science I enjoy.

For now, I'll just stick to Bill Nye and Science magazines.

[Kerrigan]

How does it not exist until you look at it? Does it know that it's being peaked at?

[jckalen]

what if it falls in the forest?

[Dakar]

Originally Posted by Kerrigan

How does it not exist until you look at it? Does it know that it's being peaked at?

Schrodinger's Cat?

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by Dakar

Schrodinger's Cat?