Entanglement is a phenomenon where particles become interconnected. Quantum entanglement is a fascinating phenomenon observed between the quantum particles. The state of one particle instantly affects the state of another, regardless of distance. This means if you measure one particle, you immediately know the state of the other. Einstein called it "spooky action at a distance."
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| Image: Generated by AI with prompt quantum entanglement |
Imagine you have two gloves, one red and one blue. You put each glove in a separate box and send one box to your friend far away. You don't open your box, and neither does your friend.
Now, you open your box and see a red glove. Instantly, you know that your friend has the blue glove, even though they haven't opened their box yet. That's kind of like entanglement.
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| Image: A conceptual artistic illustration representing quantum entanglement |
- The gloves are "linked" because you know they come as a pair. Entangled particles are also linked - they share a connection from the moment they are created.
- Their status is instantly known. As soon as you see the red glove, you instantly know the other one is blue. With entangled particles, measuring a property of one (like its "spin") instantly tells you the corresponding property of the other, no matter how far apart they are.
However, they are also different in the following aspects.
- Before opening the box - you don't know the box actually has "blue" or "red". They had a mixed probability of being each and were in a state of being "both". This state is called the superposition.
- They both are separate objects. But they are connected in a fundamental way even when they are far from each other.
Although Quantum Entanglement is a strange and mind-bending phenomenon, it is how the universe works at the smallest levels.
Types
Spin Entanglement
Imagine two electrons, each with a property called "spin" that can be either "up" or "down."
If these electrons are entangled, their spins are linked. If one electron's spin is measured as "up," the other's will instantly be "down," and vice versa.
This happens even if the electrons are miles apart.
Photon Entanglement
Photons are particles of light that have a property called polarization. It is the direction in which they oscillate. If two photons are entangled, their polarizations are linked. If one photon is polarized vertically, the other will be horizontally polarized. This happens even if the photons are light-years apart.
Atomic Entanglement
Atoms - the basic building blocks of matter, can also be entangled. Their "quantum information," which includes energy levels and other properties, becomes linked. Measuring a property in one atom instantaneously influences the other entangled atom.
Applications and Examples
- Quantum Key Distribution: Uses entangled particles to create secure encryption keys.
- Quantum Algorithms: Shor’s algorithm uses entanglement for efficient factoring.
- Bell’s Theorem: Experiments using entangled particles show the non-locality of quantum mechanics.