If successful scientific theories can be thought of as cures for stubborn problems, quantum physics was the wonder drug of the 20th century. It successfully explained phenomena such as radioactivity and antimatter, and no other theory can match its description of how light and particles behave on small scales.
But it can also be mind-bending. Quantum objects can exist in multiple states and places at the same time, requiring a mastery of statistics to describe them. Rife with uncertainty and riddled with paradoxes, the theory has been criticised for casting doubt on the notion of an objective reality - a concept many physicists, including Albert Einstein, have found hard to swallow.
Today, scientists are grappling with these philosophical conundrums, trying to harness quantum's bizarre properties to advance technology, and struggling to weave quantum physics and general relativity into a seamless theory of quantum gravity.
The birth of an idea
Quantum theory began to take shape in the early 20th century, when classical ideas failed to explain some observations. Previous theories allowed atoms to vibrate at any frequency, leading to incorrect predictions that they could radiate infinite amounts of energy - a problem known as the ultraviolet catastrophe.
In 1900, Max Planck solved this problem by assuming atoms can vibrate only at specific, or quantised, frequencies. Then, in 1905, Einstein cracked the mystery of the photoelectric effect, whereby light falling on metal releases electrons of specific energies. The existing theory of light as waves failed to explain the effect, but Einstein provided a neat solution by suggesting light came in discrete packages of energy called photons - a brain wave that won him the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921.
Quantum weirdness
In fact, light's chameleon-like ability to behave as either a particle or a wave, depending on the experimental setup, has long stymied scientists. Danish physicist Niels Bohr explained this wave-particle duality by doing away with the concept of a reality separate from one's observations. In his "Copenhagen interpretation", Bohr argued that the very act of measurement affects what we observe.
One controversial experiment recently challenged this either/or scenario of light by apparently detecting evidence of both wave- and particle-like behaviour simultaneously. The work suggests there may be no such thing as photons - light appears quantised only because of the way it interacts with matter.
Other interpretations of quantum theory - of which there are at least half a dozen - deal with the measurement problem by suggesting even more far-fetched concepts than a universe dependent on measurement. The popular many worlds interpretation suggests quantum objects display several behaviours because they inhabit an infinite number of parallel universes.
Uncertainty rules
For about 70 years, this wave-particle duality was explained by another unsettling tenet of quantum theory - the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. Formulated by Werner Heisenberg in 1927 and recently made more precise, the theory puts an upper limit on knowledge. It says one can never know both the position and momentum of a quantum object - measuring one invariably changes the other.
Bohr defeated Einstein in a series of thought experiments in the 1920s and 1930s using this principle, but more recent work suggests the underlying cause of the duality seen in experiments is a phenomenon called entanglement.
Entanglement is the idea that in the quantum world, objects are not independent if they have interacted with each other or come into being through the same process. They become linked, or entangled, such that changing one invariably affects the other, no matter how far apart they are - something Einstein called "spooky action at a distance".
This may be involved in superconductivity and may even explain why objects have mass. It also holds promise for "teleporting" particles across vast distances - assuming everyone agrees on a reference frame. The first teleportation of a quantum state occurred in 1998, and scientists have been gradually entangling more and more particles, different kinds of particles, and large particles.
Secure networks
Entanglement may also provide a nearly uncrackable method of communication. Quantum cryptographers can send "keys" to decode encrypted information using quantum particles. Any attempt to intercept the particles will disturb their quantum state - an interference that could then be detected.
In April 2004, Austrian financial institutions performed the first money transfer encrypted by quantum keys, and in June, the first encrypted computer network with more than two nodes was set up across 10 kilometres in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US.
But keeping quantum particles entangled is a tricky business. Researchers are working on how to maximise the particles' signal and distance travelled. Using a sensitive photon detector, researchers in the UK recently sent encrypted photons down the length of a 100-kilometre fibre optic cable. Researchers in the US devised a scheme to entangle successive clouds of atoms in the hopes of one day making a quantum link between the US cities of Washington, DC, and New York.
Lightning-fast computers
Quantum computers are another long-term goal. Because quantum particles can exist in multiple states at the same time, they could be used to carry out many calculations at once, factoring a 300-digit number in just seconds compared to the years required by conventional computers.
But to maintain their multi-state nature, particles must remain isolated long enough to carry out the calculations - a very challenging condition. Nonetheless, some progress has been made in this area. A trio of electrons, the building blocks of classical computers, were entangled in a semiconductor in 2003, and the first quantum calculation was made with a single calcium ion in 2002. In October 2004, the first quantum memory component was built from a string of caesium atoms.
But particles of matter interact so easily with others that their quantum states are preserved for very short times - just billionths of a second. Photons, on the other hand, maintain their states about a million times longer because they are less prone to interact with each other. But they are also hard to store, as they travel, literally, at the speed of light.
In 2001, scientists managed to stop light in its tracks, overcoming one practical hurdle. And the first quantum logic gate - the brains behind quantum computers - was created with light in 2003.
Quantum gravity
While three of the four fundamental forces of nature - those operating on very small scales - are well accounted for by quantum theory, gravity is its Achilles heel. This force works on a much larger scale and quantum theory has been powerless so far to explain it.
A number of bizarre theories have been proposed to bridge this gap, many of which suggest that the very fabric of space-time bubbles up with random quantum fluctuations - a foam of wormholes and infinitesimal black holes.
Such a foam is thought to have filled the universe during the big bang, dimpling space-time so that structures such as stars and galaxies could later take shape.
The most popular quantum gravity theory says that particles and forces arise from the vibrations of tiny loops - or strings - just 10-35 metres long. Another says that space and time are discrete at the smallest scales, emerging from abstractions called "spin networks".
One recent theory, called "doubly special relativity", tweaks Einstein's idea of one cosmic invariant - the speed of light - and adds another at a very small scale. The controversial theory accounts for gravity, inflation, and dark energy. Physicists are now devising observations and experiments that could test the competing theories.
Economies of scale
Quantum physics is usually thought to act on light and particles smaller than molecules. Some researchers believe there must be some cut-off point where classical physics takes over, such as the point where the weak pull of gravity overwhelms other forces (in fact, gravity's effect on neutrons was recently measured). But macroscopic objects can obey quantum rules if they don't get entangled.
Certainly, harnessing troops of atoms or photons that follow quantum laws holds great technological promise. Recent work cooling atoms to near absolute zero have produced new forms of matter called Bose-Einstein and fermionic condensates. These have been used to create laser beams made of atoms that etch precise patterns on surfaces, and might one day lead to superconductors that work at room temperature.
All of these hopes suggest that, as queasy as quantum can be, it remains likely to be the most powerful scientific cure-all for years to come.
Maggie McKee, 13 December 2004
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/.../quantum-world
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good article , thanks
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first post, Hi All! :icon_salu
yea great article Krell
thx
Welcome to the lemon party!
Hard as ever and here to make you people believe...as long as there is one person to hold hope and dream...A GOD...will never die!
wonderful stuff..Entanglement is the idea that in the quantum world, objects are not independent if they have interacted with each other or come into being through the same process. They become linked, or entangled, such that changing one invariably affects the other, no matter how far apart they are - something Einstein called "spooky action at a distance".
thanks for the article
Interpretative Remarks on
Quantum Entanglement
The explanation favoured by Deutsch and others of how a quantum system processes information is the so-called ‘many-worlds’ interpretation. The idea, roughly, is that an entangled state of the sort that arises in the quantum computation of a function, which represents a linear superposition over all possible arguments and corresponding values of the function, should be understood as a manifestation of parallel computations in different worlds. The quantum circuit is designed to enable the computation of a global property of the function by achieving some sort of ‘interference’ between these different worlds. (For an insightful critique of this idea of ‘quantum parallelism’ as explanatory, see Steane. It should be noted that the term ‘many-worlds’ can refer to a variety of interpretational ideas, some more refined than others.)
An alternative view, not much discussed in the literature in this connection, is the quantum logical interpretation, which emphasizes the non-Boolean structure of properties of quantum systems. (The properties of a classical system form a Boolean algebra, essentially the abstract characterization of a set-theoretic structure. This is reflected in the Boolean character of classical logic, and the Boolen gates in a classical computer.) A crucial difference between quantum and classical information is the possibility of computing the truth value of an exclusive disjunction — for example, the ‘constant’ disjunction asserting that the value of the function (for both arguments) is either 0 or 1, or the ‘balanced’ disjunction asserting that the value of the function (for both arguments) is either the same as the argument or different from the argument — without computing the truth values of the disjuncts. Classically, an exclusive disjunction is true if and only if one of the disjuncts is true. In effect, Deutsch's quantum circuit achieves its speed-up by exploiting the non-Boolean structure of quantum properties to compute the value of a disjunctive property, without computing the value of the disjuncts (representing the association of individual arguments with corresponding function values).
whole article :
Very good reading material..gonna print it out to read the whole thing on the throne right now..
lol. I just explained that term to my better half today.Originally Posted by Mels_Smileys45
17 USC § 1008 Prohibition on certain infringement actions:
No action may be brought under this title alleging infringement of copyright based on the noncommercial use by a consumer for making digital musical or analog musical recordings.
....I thought modestas was still banned....
DILLIGAF
We came up with Quantum Mechanics because we have failed to grasp this multiverse we are all a part of is really a singular 6 Dimensional Object and our illusion of consciousness is merely a holographic projection from one vantage point of this object.
here is my explanation from a thought experiment I did a few years back:
(1st Dimension)I could understand clearly in my mind as I saw a dot, which morphed into a line, and inside that line were an infinite number of dots.
(2nd Dimension)Then the Line morphed into a square and I could see clearly there were an infinite number of lines contained within the square.
(3rd Dimension)Then the Square became a cube and I could see there were infinite squares contained within the cube.
(4th dimension) I was aware of the Box's movement and it's progression through time resembling how the original dot formed a line
(5th Dimension) Then from out of nowhere my vision changed and I could see multiple kaleidoscope views at once. I could see infinite layers to the first through fourth dimensions. and how there were infinite boxes along the path the box followed and how they moved into our perception as time progressed I really cannot explain it better than that but I can still see it clearly in my mind. That there are really an infinite number of boxes but we only see it in sections kind of like an old 8mm film playing very fast but we cannot see the frames ahead of what is playing. and even though it really doesn't make sense I could see from this kaleidoscopic view that this dimension was similar to the the line forming the square.
Here is an alternate explanation of the 5th Dimension:
The 5th Total Dimension or the 2nd Dimension of Time is similar to a record. The "Past, Present, and Future" are already there, they are relative to the needles position on the Record as it turns (or we move along it), and the needle is our illusion of consciousness. Past, Present and Future are all relative to the position of the needle (our illusion of consciousness). The Past and Future have as much ACTUAL existence as the PRESENT does... At first this would make one think that there is no free will and that we were indeed a record... In steps the the 6th Dimension or the 3rd Dimension of Time....
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(6th Dimension)At this point I could see layered upon the 5th dimension were infinite possibilities, this is really hard to describe but what I saw was an infinite number of multiverses layered upon our own...It was amazingly similar to how a plane formed a cube. Each layer had the same 5 Dimensions as previously stated. And that all of them *were connected and NOT separate* from what we perceive to be real. I understood illusion of consciousness is what allows us choose the reality we wish to live in. In essence we experience all realities simultaneously, but only consciously perceive one. We all navigate these infinite possible layers by our actions, thoughts etc., in essence we are all multidimensional beings experiencing ourselves in 3 and perhaps 4 dimensions. I believe the 6th dimension is the quantum dimension, and that there is no such thing as precognition, we are merely selecting (not creating) the future or destiny we want. If there is something which can be considered a third eye, esp etc.. I believe it to be a sense where you can perceive the 6th dimension and select the path to the outcome/future of your choosing.
Here is an alternate explanation of the 6th Dimension:
The 6th Total Dimension or the 3rd Dimension of time, is like we are in a record store with infinite records with infinite variations of each song... so we can switch records mid stream and never miss a beat! We don't even know we are doing it. We can listen to any of the infinite possibilities. There are infinite multiverses, all possibilities have ACTUAL existence just like the Past, and Future.. but it is all relative to our perspective what we choose to experience is the illusion of consciousness....
At the end of the Image Stream I realized that as observers we each lived in our own separate universes of our choosing (consciously or not), reality is what we choose it to be, we select it like a channel from the TV. That sentience, was only the illusion we were separate from the multiversal consciousness. I also understood what death was like, an expansion of consciousness, and unity with infinite possibilities in the 6th dimension. A complete and total state of awareness of all that was, is, and could be.
I so get it.....
We can choose our own destiny.... The reality in which we live is of our own choosing (consciously or unconsciously)
What is really mind numbing is that I now realize all these infinite possibilities are in fact ONE.... everything is ONE object being viewed from different angles/perspectives.... that's all it is... everything is happening all at once.... past, present, future... all at once... all possibilities are happening all at once.... and all of this at one singular point. Infinite and one are the same simultaneously, and it is our illusion of consciousness which gives us the choice of which angle/perspective to view this one object from. The Universe/Multiverse is a SINGULAR Six-Dimensional Object. It is completely still and static yet contains all possible realities, futures, pasts, and presents. It is our consciousness that perceives only one aspect /angle/perspective of this 6D object. Actually it is all relative to our perspective as observers.
nice ideas therethat's all it is... everything is happening all at once.... past, present, future... all at once... all possibilities are happening all at once.... and all of this at one singular point. Infinite and one are the same simultaneously, and it is our illusion of consciousness which gives us the choice of which angle/perspective to view this one object from.
but unfortunatly alot of people wont consider them
"All the clock face are wrong"
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everett...interpretation
MWI was initially formulated by Hugh Everett as an alternative to wavefunction collapse used in the Copenhagen interpretation to explain non-deterministic processes (such as measurement) in quantum mechanics.
Hugh Everett III (November 11, 1930 – July 19, 1982) was an American physicist who first proposed the many-worlds interpretation of quantum physics, which he called his "relative state" formulation. He left physics after completing his Ph.D., discouraged at the lack of response to his theories from other physicists. He then became a multi-millionaire.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Many-minds_interpretation
If you think about it long enough... and meditate on it... there is another dimension (pardon the pun) to the teachings of the Buddha, and the Christ. If one could awaken a 6th sense and shift your perception of the 6D Multiverse you could look at ANY possibility you wanted..... it is not that you are creating that reality... it is that t was already there... Everything is relative to the angle/perspective at which you view this 6D multiverse.... which is one singular object... You can view any possible future you want once you understand it... we are all dimensional sliders but we never notice it ;) Maybe you could achieve something like the Buddha, or Christ if you step outside this pond and see our true nature, its not magic its a new and deeper understanding of reality.
If you guys will, think about what the Buddha and The Christ WERE REALLY trying to say, read think and grow rich, Einsteins thoughts of religion and philosophy, and just about every other great thinker or achiever in (our collective) history they all got "IT" to some degree...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato's_allegory_of_the_cave
http://www.rahul.net/raithel/otfw/dimensions.html
other people have had the same idea also
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