One of the quietest places in the universe is the inconspicuous rooms on the southern coast of England. Here, we are at one of the Institute of Physics at the University of Southampton. Hendrik Ulbrichit incredible efforts are being made to eliminate any possible uproars. A tonne of granite slab absorbs all vibrations except faint tremors. All of this is done in a slim hope that it may answer questions that have plagued scientists since the advent of quantum mechanics a century ago.
In the microscopic quantum realm, reality appears to function differently from the solid, predictable world we are used to. The hard boundaries melt together, allowing objects to entangle and entangle deeply without physical contact. Quantum objects known as superpositions that appear to live in multiple locations at once, at least if not seen directly. However, the minimum disturbance causes the entanglement to disappear and the superposition to collapse. The larger the object, the more likely it is to succumb to certainty.
This article is part of a special series celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of quantum theory. Click here for details.
But over the past few years, scientists have put small things like simple particles in a superposition, then put surprisingly large things in this state, including sapphire crystal. As these quantum effects grow and grow…
Source: www.newscientist.com