<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"  Quantum mechanics boasts all sorts of delightfully odd features. There&amp;#039;s the fact that\u00A0two separated particles can interact instantaneously, a phenomenon called quantum entanglement. (Einstein disparaged the theory, which he called &amp;quot;spooky action at a distance&amp;quot; because it suggests that communication between the two particles can occur faster than the speed of light, but\u00A0there is significant evidence to support the theory of quantum entanglement.) And there&amp;#039;s\u00A0another phenomenon called\u00A0quantum superposition. This principle of quantum mechanics suggests that particles can exist in two separate locations at once.\u00A0 Physicists from Stanford University have now\u00A0demonstrated the superposition of a group of atoms over a greater distance than ever before: 54 centimeters, or about 1.77 feet. The largest distance ever achieved before this was less than a centimeter. Quantum superposition is made even more perplexing by the fact that it can only occur when the particles are unobserved. Simply by observing a particle in two different quantum states, you cause what is known as wave function collapse and the particle again exists in only one state or the other (and in the case of superposition, only one physical location or the other). Therefore, measuring a particle in superposition is\u00A0incredibly difficult.  The Stanford researchers used a cloud of 10,000 rubidium atoms cooled to near-absolute zero temperatures, called a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), to demonstrate superposition. The cloud of atoms, measuring a\u00A0few millimeters across, was put into a 33-foot-tall chamber. Lasers were used to push the cloud up the chamber, a process that also separated the atoms into two\u00A0quantum states. When the atoms fell back down to the bottom of the chamber, they returned to one quantum state and appeared to have arrived from two different heights 54 centimeters apart, confirming that they were in superposition at the top of the chamber. The BEC remained in superposition for about a second, four times longer than previous demonstrations. It&amp;#039;s experiments like this one that can help create a new set of physical laws for the atomic world, principles that could lead to breakthroughs in fields like quantum computing and revolutionize our ability to process huge amounts of data. Until then, we can just enjoy the mind-blowing weirdness of spooky\u00A0particles.  Source: New Scientist "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a18756/atoms-exist-two-places-simultaneously/>