Scientists at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider have made a groundbreaking observation, detecting quantum entanglement at the highest energy level yet. This phenomenon, where two particles are connected and can affect each other instantaneously, has been observed in various systems but remained largely unexplored at high energies. The ATLAS collaboration reported this achievement in an article published in Nature, with confirmation from the CMS collaboration.
This breakthrough opens up new avenues for exploring quantum physics, building on the work of Nobel laureates Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser, and Anton Zeilinger, who pioneered experiments with entangled photons. The observation was made possible by a recently proposed method using pairs of top quarks produced at the LHC as a new system to study entanglement.
The ATLAS and CMS teams observed entanglement between top quarks and their antimatter counterparts, inferring spin orientation from decay products. This achievement paves the way for further investigations into this fascinating phenomenon, according to Andreas Hoecker, ATLAS spokesperson, and Patricia McBride, CMS spokesperson.
Observing Quantum Entanglement at the Highest Energy Yet
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments at CERN have successfully observed quantum entanglement between top quarks and their antimatter counterparts at the highest energy yet, opening up a new perspective on the complex world of quantum physics. This phenomenon, which has no analogue in classical physics, has been observed in various systems and has found important applications in quantum cryptography and quantum computing.
The observation of quantum entanglement at high energies accessible at particle colliders such as the LHC has remained largely unexplored until now. The ATLAS collaboration reported this groundbreaking result in an article published in Nature, which was later confirmed by the CMS collaboration. This achievement paves the way for new investigations into this fascinating phenomenon, offering a rich menu of exploration as data samples continue to grow.
The top quark is the heaviest known fundamental particle, and it normally decays into other particles before it has time to combine with other quarks, transferring its spin and other quantum traits to its decay products. Physicists observe and use these decay products to infer the top quark’s spin orientation. To observe entanglement between top quarks, the ATLAS and CMS collaborations selected pairs of top quarks from data from proton-proton collisions at an energy of 13 teraelectronvolts during the second run of the LHC.
The Methodology Behind the Observation
The observation of quantum entanglement between top quarks was made possible by a recently proposed method to use pairs of top quarks produced at the LHC as a new system to study entanglement. The ATLAS and CMS collaborations looked for pairs in which the two quarks are simultaneously produced with low particle momentum relative to each other, where the spins of the two quarks are expected to be strongly entangled.
The existence and degree of spin entanglement can be inferred from the angle between the directions in which the electrically charged decay products of the two quarks are emitted. By measuring these angular separations and correcting for experimental effects that could alter the measured values, the ATLAS and CMS teams each observed spin entanglement between top quarks with a statistical significance larger than five standard deviations.
The Significance of the Observation
The observation of quantum entanglement at high energies has significant implications for our understanding of the Standard Model of particle physics. With measurements of entanglement and other quantum concepts in a new particle system and at an energy range beyond what was previously accessible, physicists can test the Standard Model in new ways and look for signs of new physics that may lie beyond it.
The CMS collaboration also looked for pairs of top quarks in which the two quarks are simultaneously produced with high momentum relative to each other. In this domain, for a large fraction of top quark pairs, the relative positions and times of the two top quark decays are predicted to be such that classical exchange of information by particles traveling at no more than the speed of light is excluded, and CMS observed spin entanglement between top quarks also in this case.
The Future of Quantum Physics Research
The observation of quantum entanglement at high energies opens up new avenues for research in quantum physics. As data samples continue to grow, physicists will be able to explore this phenomenon further, gaining a deeper understanding of the complex world of quantum physics. This achievement demonstrates the power of particle colliders like the LHC in pushing the boundaries of human knowledge and understanding.
The observation of quantum entanglement at high energies also highlights the importance of interdisciplinary research, combining expertise in quantum physics, particle physics, and experimental techniques. As physicists continue to explore the mysteries of quantum mechanics, they will be able to develop new technologies and applications that have the potential to revolutionize various fields, from computing and cryptography to materials science and beyond.
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