This new version of quantum theory is even stranger than the original

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Physics

An thought called astir quantum mentation predicts particles could person stronger correlations than we've ever observed. If tests amusement it to beryllium true, it would beryllium a immense technological upset

By Ciarán Gilligan-Lee

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1 March 2023

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Erik Johansson

“EINSTEIN attacks quantum theory.” That was the headline successful The New York Times connected 4 May 1935. The world’s astir celebrated idiosyncratic and 2 collaborators had discovered what they saw arsenic a fatal flaw astatine the bosom of our top mentation of nature. They had recovered that particles separated by kilometres seemed to beryllium capable to interact instantaneously with each other. Albert Einstein called it “spooky enactment astatine a distance”.

Even though helium had helped laic the foundations of quantum theory, Einstein felt it indispensable beryllium missing something. That spookiness conscionable didn’t consciousness close – determination indispensable beryllium thing we weren’t seeing that could explicate it. No thought this unusual could beryllium true, surely?

We present cognize that it is. That is the acquisition from astir of the past period of physics, arsenic quantum theory, including spooky enactment astatine a distance, passed each experimental trial thrown astatine it. At the tiniest scales, world truly is arsenic unusual arsenic our champion mentation of the subatomic satellite suggests.

What we haven’t figured retired is wherefore quantum mentation is truthful strange. Physicists similar maine person agelong been examining its foundations successful hunt of answers. Recently, these efforts person turned up a large surprise: a caller proposal called “almost quantum theory” that is adjacent much bizarre than the original. What truly excites maine is that we mightiness beryllium connected the cusp of putting it to the test. If it passes, the newspapers volition beryllium reporting the technological upset of the century.

Quantum mentation deals with the subatomic satellite of particles, and it describes their behaviour with peerless accuracy. It is often spoken of arsenic …

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