Researchers Achieve Quantum Teleportation Between Two Macroscopic Objects For The First Time

The quantum internet is coming, and this is how we're going to get there.

By Clay Dillow Posted 11.19.2012 at 9:00 am 12 Comments

Quantum Teleportation Explained In case you want to try this at home. Xiao-Hui Bao, et al. via arXiv

Sometimes it’s tough to get excited about stuff happening in quantum technologies, not because it’s anything less than fascinating but because it can be so hard to wrap your head around this stuff and anyhow the practical applications often seem very far away. But this is one of those milestones that you have to appreciate: Physicists have for the first time teleported quantum information from one macroscopic object to another.

Researchers have been able to teleport quantum information for a while now. Quick quantum primer: This isn’t Star Trek-style teleportation, but the transfer of information--of quantum states--from one place to another without that information crossing the space between them in any way. This is achieved through the strange quantum phenomenon of entanglement, which allows two quantum objects to share the same quantum state such that if you influence one particle you also influence the other, whether they are separated by nanometers or light-years.

So by entangling two photons, for instance, physicists have demonstrated the ability to transmit quantum information from one place to another by encoding it in these quantum states--influence one of the pair and a change can be measured in the other without any information actually passing between the two. Researchers have done this before, between photons, between ions, and even between a macroscopic object and a microscopic object. But now Chinese researchers have, for the first time, achieved quantum teleportation between two macroscopic objects across nearly 500 feet using entangled photons.

That’s pretty huge. The two bundles of rubidium atoms that served as sender and receiver are more or less analogs for what we hope will someday be our “quantum Internet”--a system of routers like the ones we have now that, instead of beaming information around a vast network of fiber optic wires, will send and receive information through entangled photons. So in a way, this is like a first proof of concept, evidence that the idea works at least in the lab.

Now all we have to do is figure out is how to build several of these in series so they can actually pass information from one to the other. To do that, we only have to somehow force these quantum states to exist for longer than the hundred microseconds or so that they last now before degrading. Sounds easy enough.

[MIT Technology Review]

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12 Comments

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D13

11/19/12 at 11:10 am

Well, technically, starting photons off at a single point of origin is one way to entangle. Dissipation is yet another. The crystaline forms of Diamonds were able to be entangled by creating a hollow point in the diamond, where a phonon would be trapped, and cause the diamonds frequency to match that of the other diamonds.

In any case, this all seems to point to a unique frequency of vibration being attained by the two entangled objects as a result. Having electron spins that match etc, can be "induced" between 2 objects that did not start out at the same point though. Then they entanglement can be maintained indefinitely between the objects with a dissipation field:

http://phys.org/news/2011-08-entanglement-macroscopic-dissipation.html

These types use a EM Field to cause objects to be entangled. At least in this case, it prolongs the entanglement.

This shows that your quantum computer could be entangled to another set of objects by attaining a frequency that is very similar to the one that you want to be entangled with. So, I see this as a 2 part solution.

1.) Your comp, or pieces of it, would be "tuned" to the exact frequency of the quantum network node your connecting with.

2.) The frequency that is handed to your computer would be generated on the fly like a token.

3.) Your computer would then use its own field (generator?) to alter the local field on your computer. Once done you would be connected "entangled".

Exciting stuff. Can't wait for to see this in action. A Solid State Qunatum computer with even 16 Qbits would be amazing!

My 2C.

"Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead... only try to realize the truth. There is no spoon."

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killerT

11/19/12 at 1:02 pm

Does this mean live exploration of alien worlds via avatar?

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zerox012

11/19/12 at 11:15 pm

I wonder if advanced alien civilizations communicate using some form of quantum entanglement and that's the reason why we don't detect any intelligent activity in outer space, no radio communications, nothing.

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D13

11/20/12 at 11:10 am

Wow, good catch 0x012! Very good point. Most likely the case too. However, at some point this alien race would have used a more primitive transmission. Like us, they would have, at some point in the past not used such technology as radio waves. Even if they have evolved, we should be able to pick something from that period. Maybe they arent that old though? We just don't know. Why would they hide though? The great observers? Obviously not conquerors. Perhaps keepers of Universal Balance? Studying a test case for Universal Population control? Humans do seem to simply procreate, consume and die. This wouldnt be good for a balance. Maybe we need some genetic engineering.

Also, remember that we have just now found loopholes in the laws of optics that allow things like visibility. We have just now started to use quantum mechanics and manipulate waves at ther wavelegths (MetaMaterials). Advanced civilizations would already have these things down. They could be right next to you watching and you wouldnt even know. :)

"Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead... only try to realize the truth. There is no spoon."

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D13

11/20/12 at 11:16 am

"...WOULD have used such technology as..."

Oops! Correction.

"Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead... only try to realize the truth. There is no spoon."

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ottokrog

11/20/12 at 2:08 pm

I am sure that FTL communication is pretty close.

But I don't think that the qualities required for The Higgs particle to explain the standard model is there,

and I don't think they will be found.

Neither do I think, that supersymmetry will be recognized in futuristic science. I know I am a pain in the

butt, but I believe in a complete different approach to high energy physics in the future. My vision is that

future science will engulf consciousness. The mind and the spirit will be explainable through physics.

I have been a fan of Sir Roger Penrose for many years. He was the first scientist to say that

consciousness should be found in the quantum field rather than in the brain. I believe that

consciousness might be explained through a better understanding of antimatter and multiverse

dimensions.

My idea is that antimatter is the mirror of this universe, and that antimatter might be where

memory is located.

I think that the subconscious mind and consciousness are located in multiverse dimensions in the form of antimatter.

The original standard model predicted no mass at all. That made no sence to scientists, so Peter Higgs predicted The Higgs Boson, purely from mathematics. I think the original standard model was right, particles does not exist. The physical universe is a flow of energy from minus infinite energy to plus infinite energy.

If you would like to know more, then you can watch a full videopresentation of my theory on my blog:

www.crestroy.com

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Xean

11/20/12 at 2:58 pm

Information is sent through typical fiber optics NOT the QE. A quantum entanglement is used only to restore a quantum state not to send or receive any usefull information otherwise it would break speed of light limit.

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D13

11/20/12 at 3:20 pm

Correct Xean and also to "ottokrog". If memory is tied to the quantum field than Alzheimers is problem of physics and not a physical one. A memory that is accessible to a human brain is one that is a biological pathway burned into your brain tissue.

The quantum data that represents that biological pathway is the actual event of the memory, which happened in a certain time. Now the accessing of that memory is also quantum data as it was a physical action taken in the quantum universe. However, one is a reference to a real event and one is a recall to the same event. They are different.

All things that have happened since the beginning of the univers are in the quantum record, however, you have no access to the universes history in your brain.

The Scalar Field that the Higgs represents is in fact real. Therefore mostly likely String Theory is real and so is the SSM. The scalar field ties to a resonance that gives each particle mass. Different elements "strings" vibrate at slightly (sometimes major) different energies. Each energy level of said element interacts with Higgs Field and thus gives that particular amount of mass to that frequency.

Quantum Entangle your small brains mass with an equal mass of the universe and you may have that small part of the universes "memory". Maybe. Get a disease that detoeriorates your brains biological pathways and your memories are gone.

Consciousness may be ecplained by science but, in that case, multiple copies of the same conciousness will then most likely be possible as well. For that matter, moving your conciousness to a new brain will be possible as well. Perhaps one not human at all.

We all start out as drooling babies with no memories. Only a developed brain with ceratin ability to burn memories can create them, sotre them, or reference them. Data in the universe is in the form of ordered data or data that has become unordered and it essentailly abstract, or very hard to track back to its origins.

"Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead... only try to realize the truth. There is no spoon."

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Heap

11/21/12 at 1:55 am

Cool! Does this technology have the potential to be the backbone of a human "collective" of sorts?
I'm thinking a brainwave/neuron-receiver/transmitter that attaches to the user's brain stem maybe, while several users using the same frequency could "think" or imagine thoughts; simultaneously sharing the "collective" consciousness of all the users!
ah, maybe too far out there but it sure would be cool for creating music or multiplying max brain power for problem solving.
Too cool!

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Tuvix

11/21/12 at 4:48 pm

It will be nice when this type of instant communication takes place. It'll start a new communication age. One where I foresee teleoperation of robots on Mars for example. Manned space missions would not be entirely necessary. Since there would be no lag time between communication. And who knows as previous commenters have stated we could pick up scattered alien communication. Wouldn't that be cool.

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.zero

11/27/12 at 3:20 am

I've had a philosophy of distant travel to other worlds in a family concept that one person travels to a city on a different world looks at the sky and uses thought and memories to communicate through the expanse. Somehow the bonding of a family and familiarity can make a person become a peering sky watcher that seeks a bond, just like Quantum Kinetics the potential limit of thought is not that far from being looney. Just look up and think about how we are connected with other beings? We tend to think we are the only ones? Or the only ones like us? Solidarity keeps us safe and feeds our sanity. One big reason why we are excelling in technology over becoming lords of the cosmos! We demand fabrication.

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