Proving Quantum Effects Boosts Confidence for Development of Quantum Computers
Cracking a decades-old test, researchers bolster case for quantum mechanics
Excerpts and salient points ~
+ In a new study, researchers demonstrate creative tactics to get rid of loopholes that have long confounded tests of quantum mechanics. With their innovative method, the researchers were able to demonstrate quantum interactions between two particles spaced more than 180 meters (590 feet) apart while eliminating the possibility that shared events during the past 11 years affected their interaction.
Researchers created entangled photon pairs and distributed the two photons of each pair to two measurement stations in opposite directions. At each measurement station, a telescope received the photons from the selected cosmic radiation source, which is at least 11 light-years from Earth. The cosmic photon detection signals generate random bits for measurement setting choices for the loophole-free Bell test. In this experiment, the researchers closed detection and locality loopholes, and pushed the time constraint to rule out local hidden variable models to 11 years before the experiment. (Image Credit: Ming-Han Li, USTC, Shanghai)
+ Quantum phenomena are being explored for applications in computing, encryption, sensing and more, but researchers do not yet fully understand the physics behind them. The new work could help advance quantum applications by improving techniques for probing quantum mechanics.
+ A paper explaining these results will be presented at the Frontiers in Optics + Laser Science (FIO + LS) conference, held 15-19 September in Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
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