The Imperial college of London has proposed the first experiment that will test predictions of quantum entanglement based on string theory.
String theory was originally developed to describe the fundamental particles and forces that make up our universe. The new research, led by a team from Imperial College London, describes the unexpected discovery that string theory also seems to predict the behaviour of entangled quantum particles. As this prediction can be tested in the laboratory, researchers can now test one aspect of string theory.
“If experiments prove that our predictions about quantum entanglement are correct, this will demonstrate that string theory ‘works’ to predict the behaviour of entangled quantum systems,” said Professor Mike Duff FRS, lead author of the study from the Department of Theoretical Physics at Imperial College London.
“This will not be proof that string theory is the right ‘theory of everything’ that is being sought by cosmologists and particle physicists. However, it will be very important to theoreticians because it will demonstrate whether or not string theory works, even if its application is in an unexpected and unrelated area of physics,” added Professor Duff.
Four-qubit entanglement from string theory.” Physical Review Letters 2010
Download a copy of the study using this link: https://fileexchange.imperial.ac.uk/files/6b579a6086/1005.4915v2.pdf
String theory, and its extension M-theory, are mathematical descriptions of the universe. They have been developed, over the last 25 years, by theoreticians seeking to reconcile the theories of general relativity and quantum mechanics. (The former describes the universe at the level of cosmology – the very large, while the latter describes the universe at the level of particle physics – the incredibly small). One of the major bugbears, especially of M-theory, is that it describes billions of different universes and ‘anything’ can be accommodated in one or other of the M-theory universes. Researchers have no way of testing which of the answers that string/M-theory gives us is ‘right’. Indeed, they all may be right and we live in one universe among an infinite number of universes. So far no one has been able to make a prediction, using string theory, that can be tested to see if it is correct or not.
Qubit (quantum bit) entanglement
Under very precisely controlled conditions it is possible to entangle the properties of two quantum particles (two quantum bits, or qubits), for example two photons. If you then measure the state of one of these entangled particles, you immediately affect the state of its partner. And this is true if the particles are close to one another or separated by enormous distance. Hence Einstein’s apposite description of quantum entanglement as ‘spooky action at a distance’. It is possible to entangle more than two qubits, but calculating how the particles are entangled with one another becomes increasingly complex as more particles are included.
Professor Duff and his colleagues realised that the mathematical description of the pattern of entanglement between three qubits resembles the mathematical description, in string theory, of a particular class of black holes. Thus, by combining their knowledge of two of the strangest phenomena in the universe, black holes and quantum entanglement, they realised they could use string theory to produce a prediction that could be tested. Using the string theory mathematics that describes black holes, they predicted the pattern of entanglement that will occur when four qubits are entangled with one another. (The answer to this problem has not been calculated before.) Although it is technically difficult to do, the pattern of entanglement between four entangled qubits could be measured in the laboratory and the accuracy of this prediction tested.
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Chuo cha Imperial cha London kimependekeza majaribio ya kwanza ambayo yatapima utabiri wa kuingiliana kwa quantum kulingana na nadharia ya kamba. Nadharia ya kamba ilitengenezwa awali ili kuelezea chembe na nguvu za msingi zinazofanyiza ulimwengu wetu. Utafiti huo, ulioongozwa na timu kutoka Chuo cha Imperial cha London, unaelezea ugunduzi usiotazamiwa kwamba nadharia ya kamba pia inaonekana kutabiri tabia ya chembechembe za quantum zilizofungwa. Kwa kuwa utabiri huo unaweza kupimwa katika maabara, sasa watafiti wanaweza kupima sehemu moja ya nadharia ya nyuzi. "Ikiwa majaribio yatathibitisha kwamba utabiri wetu kuhusu kuingiliana kwa quantum ni sahihi, hii itaonyesha kwamba nadharia ya kamba ""inafanya kazi"" kutabiri tabia ya mifumo ya quantum iliyoingiliana, "alisema Profesa Mike Duff FRS, mwandishi mkuu wa utafiti kutoka Idara ya Fizikia ya Nadharia katika Chuo cha Imperial London." <unk>Hii si uthibitisho kwamba nadharia ya kamba ni haki <unk> nadharia ya kila kitu<unk> kwamba ni kuwa walitafuta na cosmologists na fizikia chembe. Hata hivyo, itakuwa muhimu sana kwa theoreticians kwa sababu itaonyesha kama au si string nadharia kazi, hata kama maombi yake ni katika eneo lisilotarajiwa na asiye na uhusiano wa fizikia, "aliongeza Profesa Duff. "Kutokana na utafiti wa ""Theory of Strings"" na ""Theory of Physics Review Letters"" (PDF) na ""Theory of Strings"" na ""Theory of M"" na ""Theory of Strings"" na ""Theory of M"" na ""Theory of M"" na ""Theory of M"" na ""Theory of M"" na ""Theory of M"" na ""Theory of M"" na ""Theory of M"" na ""Theory of M"" na ""Theory of M"" na ""Theory of M"" na ""Theory of M"" na ""Theory of M"" na ""Theory of M"" na ""Theory of M"" na ""Theory of M"" na ""Theory of M." Kwa miaka 25 iliyopita, wanasayansi wamekuwa wakijaribu kuunganisha nadharia za jumla za upendeleo na mechanics ya quantum. (Mwanzo huelezea ulimwengu katika ngazi ya cosmology <unk> kubwa sana, wakati wa pili huelezea ulimwengu katika ngazi ya fizikia ya chembe <unk> ndogo sana). Moja ya bugbears kuu, hasa ya M-nadharia, ni kwamba inaelezea mabilioni ya ulimwengu tofauti na "kila kitu" inaweza kuwa accommodated katika moja au nyingine ya M-nadharia ulimwengu. Watafiti hawana njia ya kupima ambayo ya majibu kwamba kamba / M-nadharia inatupa ni <unk> haki <unk>. Kwa kweli, wote wanaweza kuwa sahihi na tunaishi katika ulimwengu mmoja miongoni mwa idadi isiyo na kikomo ya ulimwengu. Hata hivyo, hakuna mtu aliyewahi kufanya utabiri wa kuaminika wa nadharia ya kamba, na hivyo kuamua ikiwa ni sahihi au la. Qubit (quantum bit) entanglement: Katika hali ya kudhibitiwa kwa usahihi, inawezekana kuunganisha mali ya chembe mbili za quantum (qubits mbili, au qubits), kwa mfano, fotoni mbili. Ikiwa kisha unapima hali ya mojawapo ya chembe hizo zilizofungwa, mara moja unaathiri hali ya mwenzake. Na hilo ni kweli ikiwa chembe hizo ziko karibu na nyingine au zimetenganishwa kwa umbali mkubwa sana. Kwa hiyo ufafanuzi sahihi wa Einstein wa kuunganishwa kwa quantum kama "tendo la kutisha kwa umbali". Inawezekana kuunganisha zaidi ya qubits mbili, lakini kuhesabu jinsi chembe zinavyounganishwa na kila mmoja inakuwa ngumu zaidi na zaidi kadiri chembe zaidi zinavyojumuishwa. Profesa Duff na wenzake waligundua kuwa maelezo ya hisabati ya muundo wa kuingiliana kati ya qubits tatu ni sawa na maelezo ya hisabati katika nadharia ya kamba ya aina fulani ya mashimo meusi. Kwa hivyo, kwa kuchanganya maarifa yao ya matukio mawili ya ajabu katika ulimwengu, mashimo meusi na kuingiliana kwa quantum, walipata kwamba wangeweza kutumia nadharia ya kamba kutengeneza utabiri ambao ungeweza kupimwa. Kwa kutumia nadharia ya kamba, wanasayansi waliweza kutabiri jinsi vifusi vya kuunganishwa vinavyoweza kutokea wakati qubits nne zinapounganishwa. (Jibu la tatizo hili halijawahi kuhesabiwa hapo awali.) Ingawa ni vigumu kufanya hivyo, muundo wa kuingiliana kati ya qubits nne zilizofungwa unaweza kupimwa katika maabara na usahihi wa utabiri huu ulipimwa. Brian Wang ni kiongozi wa mawazo ya Futurist na blogger maarufu wa Sayansi na wasomaji milioni 1 kwa mwezi. Blogi yake NextBigFuture.com imewekwa katika nafasi ya # 1 Blogi ya Habari za Sayansi. Inajumuisha teknolojia nyingi za kuvuruga na mwenendo ikiwa ni pamoja na Nafasi, Robotics, Akili ya bandia, Tiba, Anti-aging Biotechnology, na Nanotechnology. Anajulikana kwa kutambua teknolojia za juu, kwa sasa ni mwanzilishi mwenza wa kuanza na kukusanya fedha kwa kampuni zenye uwezo mkubwa wa hatua ya mapema. Yeye ni Mkuu wa Utafiti kwa ajili ya mgawo kwa ajili ya uwekezaji wa teknolojia ya kina na Angel Investor katika Space Angels. Yeye ni msemaji wa mara kwa mara katika mashirika, amekuwa msemaji wa TEDx, msemaji wa Chuo Kikuu cha Singularity na mgeni katika mahojiano mengi ya redio na podcast. Yeye ni wazi kwa kuzungumza hadharani na ushauri wa ushirikiano.