OT: The Gods of the EEE.

[mlmbd]

Kamog, yes exactly. Wait a minute. How is it that you know so much about what is in my doctoral thesis? You or anyone you know been around Irving, TX, lately?

Hmmm!!!

mlmbd

[Kamog]

No, I have not been around Irving. A couple of months ago I read in the news that some physicists at Caltech have succeeded in teleporting a light beam across a room, so I started reading up on it to try to understand how they did it. I read a bunch of stuff about Alice and Bob, squeezed light, quantum states, entangled photons, and so on, which was fascinating, but sadly, I must admit that it is over my head and I still don't comprehend it. I haven't given up yet, though, I figure that if I keep learning about quantum mechanics I'd eventually figure it out.

Wow, mlmbd ,you're working on a doctoral thesis in quantum mechanics! Can you explain what is squeezed light and how does entanglement work?

[mlmbd]

Kamog, Quantum mechanics holds that a beam of light, even laser light, exhibits small energy irregularities (shot noise) owing to the effects of vacuum fluctuations (electromagnetic fields in the vacuum whose omnipresence is sanctioned by Heisenberg's uncertainty principle). Over the past ten years physicists have been able partially to overcome this problem by reducing the noise in either the phase or the amplitude of the light at the expense of the other. The resultant "squeezed light." Does that cover it? I can give you a summary of Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. If you need.
As to how entanglement work? I am assuming you are referring to "Quantum Entanglement." Yes?
Quantum entanglement is a physical resource, like energy, associated with the peculiar nonclassical correlations that are possible between separated quantum systems. Entanglement can be measured, transformed, and purified. OK?

Kamog, phyisist are confused by physic. More particularly Quantum Mechanics. So, don't be discouraged. As you stated,

"I figure that if I keep learning about quantum mechanics I'd eventually figure it out."

Just keep learning!

Hope that helped, a little.

mlmbd

[Kamog]

Thanks for the explaination! Yes, that helps.

I only took a third-year quantum mechanics course in university, and mostly what we did in that course was to study electrons trapped in different kinds of quantum wells, solving the Schrodinger equation for these simple cases and for the hydrogen atom. We also learned about the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, de Broglie wavelengths, wave-particle duality, the energy of photons, tunneling and so on. But we didn't learn anything about quantum entanglement or quantum teleportation!

[mlmbd]

I am glad to hear, it helped!

mlmbd

[capnq]

I've seen bumper stickers that say, "Heisenberg may have slept here."

[mlmbd]

capnq, I've seen those, too. Your post reminded me of, the first time I did. I was at Berkley, in a parking lot. I did find myself smiling with the thought of Heisenberg blanching precariously on that bumper. Anyway as I got closer to this car, I could see there was other writing on the bumper sticker. I got to the car, it read; " so did Copernicus, Euclid, Pascal and that other FAMOUS mathematician guy, AH Einstein!". I almost hurt myself LOL. That laughter was soon modified when the owner of the car exited the book shop. Complete with pocket protector, a small slide ruler in it, and a copy of Einstein's "Collected Papers of Albert Einstein Vol 2". I had to find a toilet. Before I embarrassed myself, by urinating right where I stood. I still chuckle, anytime I am reminded of that!

mlmbd