Quantum Entanglement and Thoughts
The quantum world is fascinating. It operates differently, almost independent of the macro physical world, yet at the same time quantum are the small units that make up the world, from objects to humans. I found quantum entanglement, among other phenomenon in the realm of quantum, to be the most bizarre and exciting, given great potentials for extraordinary though troublesome applications – some that human seek for life.
For the record, I am not where near a physics scholar. I work in Business Development at this moment, so you know, and I am passionate about understanding how the world works. I stumbled across this article, which well explains quantum entanglement phenomena in plain language. Essentially, quantum entanglement happens when two particles are paired, and somehow there is a magic force, which is still not yet understood by scientists, that connects these two particles at such a deep level that they remain linked and mimic each other’s behavior no matter how far they are placed. There are two important characteristics here that define the significance, one is “simultaneous,” and the second “the same/opposite behavior.” Doesn’t matter if these two particles are minutes away from each other, or separated by the Milky Way being placed on two separate planets, by observing one particle’s movement, we can know what happens on the other side (i.e. the entangled particle).
Physicists take first-ever photo of quantum entanglement. (Image credit: University of Glasgow)
Such entanglement was proven experimentally. Scientists have successfully demonstrated quantum entanglement with various particles, such as photons, electrons, and even very small diamonds. The University of Glasgow even captured the very first visual evidence of entanglement in 2019, known as Bell entanglement, described by late physicist John Steward Bell in the 1960s (Source). A stream of entangled particles were created, fired, and split into two equal “arms” going down different paths. Then a super sensitive camera captured this. Since they were entangled, the picture shows the perfect opposite state of the particle at the same time even after separated.
This is absolutely incredible. The “simultaneous” state violates the limit of the speed of light, the foundation of classic physics. Einstein dubbed the phenomenon “spooky action at a distance,” and he had not figured out the mathematical expression, one that describes the movements of both the macro-objects and micro-particles, that governs the operation of the universe at the time of his death (recommended areas of interest if you are going for the next Nobel prize in physics). The second “same/opposite behavior” means that if we observe (or CONTROL, which is not yet proven that we are able to) one particle, the other one will essentially be the identical one on the other side of the universe.
The application is wild, from quantum computing, data transmission, and even teleportation. What comes to my mind is that, there has to be some way of communication between the two particles at some ultra-light speed that is currently not known to us. In fact, using “light” to describe speed only shows the limitation of my knowledge and perhaps human imagination. The way of communication, if known to human, would enable us to no longer communicate in 5G, the major disruptions to the communication industry as of today, but instant. The moment a file is sent, the moment it is received. Or there will no longer be sent or received; it would be just a matter of firewall built for the information (such as quantum cryptography) that allows or denies access. The nascent state of such communication is already underway and developing rapidly in the virtual world. What about physical parcels, from Amazon packages to human bodies? Can we pair those particles that make up physical world, and transfer those entangled particles with the super power that will be discovered someday, to realize teletransportation?
There are serious issues though, that scientist/philosophers/theologists need to work it out. We are essentially creating a parallel universe from these entangled particle, and potential of creating more parallel universes, as two or more particles can be entangled, in principle (link). The first big question is, real vs. fake. What defines a real as a real, and what defines a fake as a fake? You see, authenticity is a very tricky term. In the world that we live in, patent protects the real, and copycats utilizing the same principle are fake. But in a world made up of particles, namely our real world, if the exact same thing were entangled (or copied), and there is no patent to specify which world is the original for the people in the world to know, how are we to distinguish? Is there a point to distinguish? Or… how do we know that the world that we are living in is not an entangled world, or a created world, as in Matrix? The second big question, perhaps connected to the first one, is that will thoughts, feelings, and memories be transferred? In other words, the parts that make humans humanly, the parts that constitute me as me, will those be transferred by all the entangled particles that make up my brains, my organs, and my body?
I’ve been dreaming of a parallel universe since I was little, and I often wonder if there is another me, in another world, that is essentially the same to the me in the current world. Whether the hypothetical other me would be doing the exact same thing as me writing this article, making the exact same good-or-bad-but-no-regrets decision, and having the exact same curious thoughts of imagining the other side?
Anyway, hope you have a great Thursday.
