Quantum entanglement is one of the most counterintuitive features of quantum mechanics, in which the quantum states of two physically separated particles are linked. If a measurement is made that causes one particle of a pair to take on a definite value, the other particle will take the anti-correlated value instantly, even when separated by large distances.
Einstein called quantum entanglement “spooky action at a distance.” Now, a team from the Vienna Centre for Quantum Science and Technology has reported imaging of entanglement events where the influence of the measurement of one particle on its distant partner particle is directly visible.
The key to their success is the Andor iStar 334T Intensified Charge-Coupled Device (ICCD) camera, which is capable of very fast (nanosecond) and precise (picosecond) optical gating speeds. Unlike the relatively long microsecond exposure times of CCD and Electron Multiplying CCD (EMCCD) cameras, which inhibit their usefulness in ultra-high-speed imaging, this level of temporal resolution made it possible for the team to perform a real-time coincidence imaging of entanglement.
Research into quantum entanglement was instigated in 1935 by Albert Einstein, Boris Podolsky and Nathan Rosen in a paper critiquing quantum mechanics. Erwin Schrödinger also wrote several papers shortly afterwards. Although these first studies focused on the counterintuitive properties of entanglement with the aim of criticising quantum mechanics, entanglement was eventually verified experimentally and recognised as a valid fundamental feature of quantum mechanics. Now, the focus of the research has changed to its utilisation in communications and computation and has been used to realise quantum teleportation experimentally.
Photo: Andor iStar 334T ICCD camera with lens
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