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Physicists Create Quantum Link Between Photons That Don't Exist At the Same Time

sciencehabit writes "Physicists have long known that quantum mechanics allows for a subtle connection between quantum particles called entanglement, in which measuring one particle can instantly set the otherwise uncertain condition, or 'state,' of another particle—even if it's light years away. Now, experimenters in Israel have shown that they can entangle two photons that don't even exist at the same time. Anton Zeilinger, a physicist at the University of Vienna, says that the experiment demonstrates just how slippery the concepts of quantum mechanics are. 'It's really neat because it shows more or less that quantum events are outside our everyday notions of space and time.'"

5 of 364 comments (clear)

  1. Science by MyLongNickName · · Score: 5, Funny

    At some point, science just got too weird. We had this nice model of the universe with atoms, some laws of motion and thermodynamics. The universe was basically a giant billiards match. It made sense. It was easy to explain. Then we get into quantum mechanics and everything is crap shoot. Multiple universes. Particles that behave differently when being observed. Spooky action at a distance.

    Let's all pretend the last 80+ years of science didn't happen and we live under Newton's ideas of how everything behaved. Who's in?

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    1. Re:Science by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Nature and nature's laws lay hid in night;
      God said "Let Newton be" and all was light.
      It could not last; the Devil shouting "Ho!
      Let Heisenberg be!" restored the status quo.

  2. Re:Getting so tired of this "instantaneous" BS by avgjoe62 · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's just astounding how many times the very same insight can get repackaged and sold as new.

    And that my son is why you will never work for the patent office.

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  3. Re:Photon model broken by The+Mighty+Buzzard · · Score: 5, Funny

    And Leeloo.

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  4. Re:Photon model broken by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Multipass!