Cloning, teleportation, inter-dimensional beings; the very concepts of these topics remain on the fringe side of science and technology. However, the truth is that many physicists seek to prove that it can be done. Now, for the first time; it has happened. The ‘Quantum Quirk’, made two atoms exist in two places at once.
Science has done something that cannot be undone; it mixed with the spiritual. This is the “New Era”.
- Scientists have created atoms in the same quantum state 21-inches apart
- They have broken the record for creating quantum superpositions in atoms
- The breakthrough may eventually make it possible to ‘teleport’ objects
The quantum superposition principle allows massive particles to be delocalized over distant positions. Though quantum mechanics has proved adept at describing the microscopic world, quantum superposition runs counter to intuitive conceptions of reality and locality when extended to the macroscopic scale1, as exemplified by the thought experiment of Schrödinger’s cat2. Matter-wave interferometers3, which split and recombine wave packets in order to observe interference, provide a way to probe the superposition principle on macroscopic scales4 and explore the transition to classical physics5. In such experiments, large wave-packet separation is impeded by the need for long interaction times and large momentum beam splitters, which cause susceptibility to dephasing and decoherence1. Here we use light-pulse atom interferometry6, 7 to realize quantum interference with wave packets separated by up to 54 centimetres on a timescale of 1 second. These results push quantum superposition into a new macroscopic regime, demonstrating that quantum superposition remains possible at the distances and timescales of everyday life. The sub-nanokelvin temperatures of the atoms and a compensation of transverse optical forces enable a large separation while maintaining an interference contrast of 28 per cent. In addition to testing the superposition principle in a new regime, large quantum superposition states are vital to exploring gravity with atom interferometers in greater detail. We anticipate that these states could be used to increase sensitivity in tests of the equivalence principle8, 9, 10, 11,12, measure the gravitational Aharonov–Bohm effect13, and eventually detect gravitational waves14 and phase shifts associated with general relativity12.
Works Cited
RICHARD GRAY. “Could teleportation become a reality? Physicists use 'quantum quirk' to make a cloud of atoms exist in two places at once .” Daily Mail. . (2016): . . http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3377541/Could-teleportation-reality-Physicists-use-quantum-quirk-make-cloud-atoms-exist-two-places-once.html#ixzz3w43SKlzo
T. Kovachy, P. Asenbaum, C. Overstreet, C. A. Donnelly, S. M. Dickerson, A. Sugarbaker, J. M. Hogan & M. A. Kasevich. “Quantum superposition at the half-metre scale.” Nature. . (2016): . . http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v528/n7583/full/nature16155.html
Jacob Aron. “New quantum record as ball of atoms ends up in two spots at once.” New Scientist. . (2016): . . https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn28709-new-quantum-record-as-ball-of-atoms-ends-up-in-two-spots-at-once/