Quantum entanglement photo

Scottish scientists were able to get the first picture of an incredible phenomenon of quantum mechanics, quantum entanglement. Quantum entanglement has no analogous meaning in the "classical world" we are used to, rather it is unique to the "quantum world." Particles are said to be entangled when their states are linked in such a way that they cannot be described individually. Classically, the properties of objects are characteristic of these, which can be described on their own merit. However, in quantum mechanics it is possible to have two (or more) particles which have an interconnected state. For example, two photons at a distance of billions of light years would be able to have an instant effect on each other, regardless of distance.

Einstein called the action of entangled particles "spooky action at a distance", consolidating the famous EPR paradox (which will gain prominence in future articles).

To obtain the photo, the scientists used photons (coming from a beam of an ultraviolet laser), which passed through a special type of crystal in order to have their phases entangled. The next step was to separate the beam into two equal "arms", with one of the "arms" going through a filter that limited one of the four phases of the particles (the filter has the effect of measuring a particle, such that the another linked to it is immediately affected). Later, the photons met an ultra-sensitive camera, capable of detecting individual photons. Meanwhile, the other "arm" went to a kind of trigger attached to the camera. The camera sensor recorded information only when two entangled photons (each with a distinct arm) reached their respective detectors at the same time with their opposite phases (to achieve the effect of simultaneous arrival a set of lenses were also used to "delay" the early photons). Over time, and overlapping multiple images, scientists were able to construct a pattern of entangled photons hitting the camera.

The resulting image perfectly matched the profile scientists expected, which gave yet another surprising achievement to the scientific world and yet another demonstration of how powerful the scientific method is.

First photo: Quantum interlacing image

Second photo: model of the experiment

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