Faster Then Light Communication

John Cramer, a physicists is moving forward with an experiment in backward causality. The experiment will involve what physicists call quantum entanglement.

Boiled down to its basics, the experiment involves splitting laser light into two beams, so that characteristics of one beam are reflected in the other beam as well. That's an example of what physicists call quantum entanglement. Specifically, Cramer has been planning to fiddle with one of the entangled laser beams such that it takes on the property of waves or particles. If one beam behaves like particles, the entangled photons of light in the other beam should behave like particles, too.

So what happens when the beams go their separate ways, and you conduct a wave-vs.-particle measurement on one beam? When someone else checks the other beam, the same measurement should yield the same result. In fact, you could visualize using the wave-vs.-particle toggle as a means for communicating information, sort of like Morse code. Theoretically, you could check one beam to receive a message instantaneously from whoever is fiddling with the other beam - even if you're separated from the receiver by millions of light-years.

That's what Einstein considered "spooky action at a distance." Such an effect could send information faster than light beams could travel, running counter to special relativity - and thus Einstein thought the effect was impossible to achieve. However, the evidence is mounting that quantum entanglement actually happens.

sorce

As the source points out there is mounting evidence that this effect does happen. Which brings in paradoxes that you might get a message from your self before you send it. Not going to say I believe that will happen yet, not going to say it will change the world any time soon. But just glad something like this might be proven to happen.

I met him at a recent science fiction convention.

While the news reports sometimes make this out to be wild-eyed science, it's actually very sound. He also teaches at the university, so his lecture was very understandable even for a non-physicist as myself. There were a number of NASA folks at the talk, and it was well received by the other scientists there.

They will also be testing the range of the quantum entanglement -- one of their experiments involves borrowing a spool of fiber optic cable (they come in spools that are about a mile of cable) and testing the entanglement over a distance.

Current distances for this experiment are less than 17 inches.

So he is saying that if you change the beam at one end it a receiver millions of 'light years' away will instantaneously receive the message.

A couple of thoughts occur

At any huge distance you cannot possibly check due to the timelag of confirming by other means.

However, if it does work, could this not ultimately be used to travel across galaxies. This could be the way of exploring the universe and how other species are reaching earth.

Johnb
that idea posed is one of the things seen on the late show. Has been talked about and would be a possibility. I just don't see it happening instantaneous, as light does travel at a speed and it can be measured. But I am glad the experiment will be taking place.