Why quantum physics is freaky.

I don't usually blog much. I'm too busy chasing shinny objects, which is why I only have 26 posts on my WA website after 6 months. But since I just recveived my 6 month badge and Joe Joson just did an excellent blog on quantum physics I thought I'd add to that info a little. Needless to say, although I'm not a big blogger, I thoroughly enjoy reading everything you guys and gals write on a regular basis!

Quantum physics is freaky because it defies what we see in everyday life. Lets look at two properties of quantum physics, quantum superpostion and quantum entanglement.

Quantum Superposition - Powering the computers of the future

Quantum superposition is the ability for a particle or sub particle to be in any of two possible states simultaneously. This quantum-mechanical anomaly was initially predicted by certain inconsistencies in wave mechanics (all matter can be mathematically described as both a particle and a wave). Erwin Schrodinger came up with an interesting analogy to make quantum superposition more palatable for those that wanted a somewhat practical explanation.
Check out the "Schrodinger's Cat" thought experiment on Wikipedia. The basic concept here is that the cat is BOTH alive AND dead until it is actually observed by opening the box. So, the cat is in quantum superposition (alive & dead), and then "quantum decoherence" occurs and it "chooses" to be EITHER alive or dead, during which point the observer will find note the final outcome. The observer never sees the cat as being both alive and dead because of many things, including the speed at which quantum decoherence occurs.

Quantum computers, unlike classical computers (which use a binary bit system of 0 or 1), have a 3 qubit state ( 0, 1, 0 and 1 simultaneously). This is what makes them so powerful and able to do calculations up to ten thousand times faster than the computers we use today. The Canadian company "D Wave" makes and sells quantum computers (check it out)! They are very big, expensive, and not practical because of the temperature and magnetic constraints they require to maintain quantum superposition.

Quantum Entanglement - "spooky action at a distance"

Quantum entanglement is even more bizzare. It is the ability of two "entangled" particles (like two photons) to independently pass information about the quantum state of their physical parameters like spin or angular momentum to each other. The information can be passed accuately between two entangled particles, even if they are seperated by great distances. In 2017 scientists in China sent entangled quantum information a distance of over 1,200 kilometers between Earth and satellites. Einstein called quantum entanglement "spooky action at a distance". We have not been able to measure the speed at which entangled particles can pass information but it might only be able to be measured in a quantum frame of reference. This means that it may not be directly comparable to the speed of light in a vacuum, which is pretty quick at about 186,000 miles/second ! What if entangled photons could pass information to protons that are in quantum superposition? Are you freaked out yet? Even if you're not, I think I'll stop here (for now).

Why is all this important to us at WA? It's not really. It's just too off-the-wall not to be interesting and I'm toying with the idea of starting a quantum physics site. The real question is what could I possibly sell there. What do mathematics and physics nerds buy? I can't sell cyclotrons or entangled photons. Please help with suggestions!

Frank