Contrary to common belief, the actual scientific definition of teleportation is not “the movement of one mass from one location to another instantaneously” but rather “the transfer from one state of something to another.” And quantum teleportation is the transfer of a state from one entangled object to another.” More specifically, it is a phenomenon in quantum physics where two or more particles become connected in such a way that the state of one particle is instantly correlated with the state of the other particle(s), regardless of the distance between them. For example, a cat and a bomb are entangled with each other because if the bomb goes off, the cat dies, and if it doesn’t, the cat survives. The surface-level concept is that simple.
To know more about quantum teleportation, we need to first learn about superposition. Superposition is a principle in quantum physics that states that a physical system, such as a particle or an object, can exist in multiple quantum states simultaneously until it is observed or measured. Imagine you have a cat, and you don't know if it's sitting or standing. In everyday life, we usually assume that things are either one way or another. The cat is either sitting or standing, right? But in the world of quantum physics, things can be a little different.
According to the principle of superposition, the cat can actually be in both states at the same time. It's like the cat is in a sort of fuzzy state where it's neither sitting nor standing definitively. It's a bit like saying the cat is both sitting and standing until we actually check and see what it's doing.
Keeping that in mind, let’s look at an actual example of teleportation. Let’s say there are two people—Alice and Bob. They each have one particle—Particles A and B, respectively. Alice and Bob prepare their particles and ensure that Particle A and Particle B are entangled. Entanglement is a quantum phenomenon where the states of two particles become connected, regardless of the distance between them. When Alice wants to teleport a quantum state to Bob, she performs a measurement on Particle A, along with the quantum state she wants to teleport. This measurement causes the entangled state of both particles to collapse. Alice communicates the measurement results to Bob using classical means, such as a phone call or the Internet. Bob therefore applies specific operations, known as “quantum state correction,” or Pauli Operators, on his particle, Particle B. These operations depend on the measurement outcomes and enable Bob's particle to take on the quantum state that Alice initially had. After Bob applies the appropriate operations, Particle B assumes the same quantum state that Alice wanted to teleport. The quantum information has effectively been transferred from Particle A to Particle B, achieving the quantum teleportation of the original state. However, connecting this back to the concept of superposition tells us that the particles aren’t necessarily fixed in one position.
Quantum teleportation has many uses. The first one is Quantum Communication, in which quantum teleportation enables secure communication by transferring quantum states between distant locations without physically transmitting the quantum system itself.
Another use is Quantum Computing, in which quantum teleportation is an essential component of quantum computing. It allows for the transfer of qubits between different parts of a quantum computer, facilitating the execution of complex quantum algorithms and enabling distributed quantum processing. Last but not least, Quantum Simulation, provides aid in simulating and studying complex quantum systems. By teleporting the quantum state of a system of interest onto a controllable quantum platform, researchers can perform simulations and gain insights into physical phenomena that are difficult to study directly or analytically.
Work Cited
"Quantum Entanglement: Einstein's 'Spooky Action at a Distance.'" Space.com, 14 March 2016, www.space.com/31933-quantum-entanglement-action-at-a-distance.html.
"Superposition." TechTarget, WhatIs.com, TechTarget, www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/superposition#:~:text=Superposition%20is%20the%20ability%20of,the%20English%20physicist%2C%20Thomas%20Young.
"Quantum Teleportation." Brilliant.org, Brilliant, www.brilliant.org/wiki/quantum-teleportation/.
"Quantum Teleportation." ScienceDirect, Elsevier, www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/quantum-teleportation.
"Quantum Entanglement." Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by Edward N. Zalta, 2021. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/qt-entangle/.
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