Space
'Spooky' Quantum Entanglement May Link Wormholes in the Universe
Catherine Griffin
First Posted: Dec 04, 2013 08:08 AM EST
Quantum entanglement is a part of quantum mechanics that Albert Einstein once referred to as "spooky action at a distance." Now, though, scientists have discovered that this phenomenon could be even stranger than Einstein thought. They've found that quantum entanglement may be intrinsically linked with wormholes, which are hypothetical features of space-time that that in popular science fiction can provide a much-faster-than-light shortcut from one part of universe to another.
Quantum entanglement occurs when a pair or a group of particles interact in ways that dictate that each particle's behavior is relative to the behavior of the others. For example, in a pair of entangled particles if one particle has a specific spin, the other particle seen at the same time will have the opposite spin. The "spooky" part of quantum entanglement is that this relationship holds true no matter how far apart the particles are; they could be several galaxies away from one another. Yet if the behavior of one particle changes, the behavior of both will change--no matter the distance.
Now, though, new research has shown that the characteristics of a wormhole are the same as if two black holes were entangled and then pulled apart. This means that even if the black holes were on opposite sides of the universe, the wormhole would connect the two holes. Yet no communication would be able to occur within these entangled black holes; a person that was just outside of the opening of one would not be able to see or communicate with a person just outside the opening of the other.
"The way you can communicate with each other is if you jump into your black hole, then the other person must jump into his black hole, and the interior world would be the same," said Andreas Karch, one of the researchers, in a news release.
The findings reveal a little bit more about quantum entanglement. However, it also demonstrates an equivalence between quantum mechanics, which deals with physical phenomena at very tiny scales, and classical geometry. The result is a tool scientists can now use to develop a broader understanding of entangled quantum systems.
The findings are published in the journal Physical Review Letters.
See Now:
NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone
©2024 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.
More on SCIENCEwr
First Posted: Dec 04, 2013 08:08 AM EST
Quantum entanglement is a part of quantum mechanics that Albert Einstein once referred to as "spooky action at a distance." Now, though, scientists have discovered that this phenomenon could be even stranger than Einstein thought. They've found that quantum entanglement may be intrinsically linked with wormholes, which are hypothetical features of space-time that that in popular science fiction can provide a much-faster-than-light shortcut from one part of universe to another.
Quantum entanglement occurs when a pair or a group of particles interact in ways that dictate that each particle's behavior is relative to the behavior of the others. For example, in a pair of entangled particles if one particle has a specific spin, the other particle seen at the same time will have the opposite spin. The "spooky" part of quantum entanglement is that this relationship holds true no matter how far apart the particles are; they could be several galaxies away from one another. Yet if the behavior of one particle changes, the behavior of both will change--no matter the distance.
Now, though, new research has shown that the characteristics of a wormhole are the same as if two black holes were entangled and then pulled apart. This means that even if the black holes were on opposite sides of the universe, the wormhole would connect the two holes. Yet no communication would be able to occur within these entangled black holes; a person that was just outside of the opening of one would not be able to see or communicate with a person just outside the opening of the other.
"The way you can communicate with each other is if you jump into your black hole, then the other person must jump into his black hole, and the interior world would be the same," said Andreas Karch, one of the researchers, in a news release.
The findings reveal a little bit more about quantum entanglement. However, it also demonstrates an equivalence between quantum mechanics, which deals with physical phenomena at very tiny scales, and classical geometry. The result is a tool scientists can now use to develop a broader understanding of entangled quantum systems.
The findings are published in the journal Physical Review Letters.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone