Facts Matter. But What is a Fact? Quantum Mechanics Bends the Rules
Interesting and thought provoking tangent to quantum computing. Because Quantum is Coming. Qubit.
Bizarre New Quantum Research: Reality Itself May Be Subjective
Excerpts and salient points ~
+ On a quantum level, it’s long been understood that particles can be in several states at once. That changes once those particles are observed, breaking the so-called “superposition” — a mind-bending principle most famously described by the “Schrödinger’s cat” thought experiment.
There is no spoon. Or at least on the quantum level… Researchers are making a counter-intuitive claim: reality itself may be subjective, thanks to quantum weirdness on a microscopic scale.
+ In an experimental test at the Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, the researchers built a small-scale quantum computer. Their aim was to scientifically prove that measurements in quantum mechanics are actually subjective to a particular observer.
+ They measured the polarization of three pairs of photons. One pair acted as two coins, meaning each one can be either heads or tails depending on its polarization. Then they used the two remaining pairs to measure the first pair’s polarization in each of the two boxes — acting, essentially, as “observers.” Two separate photons outside of each box act as a control.
+ “Eventually, we succeeded in showing that quantum mechanics might indeed be incompatible with the assumption of objective facts — we violated the inequality!” lead researchers Alessandro Fedrizzi and Massimiliano Proietti, quantum physicists at Heriot-Watt University, wrote in a recent piece for The Conversation.
Source: F. Victor Tangermann, Bizarre New Quantum Research: Reality Itself May Be Subjective…
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