A Photon Was Teleported 6 Kilometers

This demonstration was a new record for the distance that a photon could be teleported.

An elementary particle of light, also known as a photon, was teleported 6 kilometers using The City of Calgary’s fiber optic cable infrastructure.

This project was made with the collaboration between The City of Calgary, University of Calgary and a group of U.S physicists. The professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Calgary, Wolfgang Tittel, was the one that led this project.

A group of Chinese researchers also made a similar demonstration and it was published back-to-back with this project in the Nature Photonics journal.

This demonstration was a new record for the distance that a quantum state could be teleported on.

“Being entangled means that the two photons that form an entangled pair have properties that are linked regardless of how far the two are separated,” explains Tittel. “When one of the photons was sent over to City Hall, it remained entangled with the photon that stayed at the University of Calgary.”

This research was possible only because the City of Calgary had the advanced technology consisting of dark fiber. This type of cable does not interfere with the photon.

The challenge was even bigger because the scientists wanted the photons to meet at the same time, or with a difference of ten picoseconds. This was hard because the temperature changed over the day and the scientists needed some time before they had all the data necessary.

The entangled particles are so connected that they affect one another when they are separated from each other. Einstein said that these types of particles are “spooky action at a distance.”

This demonstration could be the first step in building a quantum Internet, which is the future goal for the scientists.

This demonstration was also possible because of the Urban Alliance. It is a strategic partnership between the University of Calgary and the City of Calgary and it has research and beneficial purposes.

The study is a great discovery that could change the computers we use now because it could make quantum computing and it could lead to a more secure internet. This could also be a step in developing actual teleportation for people, not only photons.

What is your opinion about the teleportation of the photon? Do you think that in the distant future people could use teleportation too?

Image source:Wikipedia

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Deborah Campbell

Deborah Campbell grew up on a steady diet of fantasy stories, 19th century poetry and Greek mythology. It’s no wonder she turned into such a hopeless romantic. She has always had a knack for writing, but she has yet to publish any best-seller yet. At the beginning of 2013 she decided to try something a little different: she started working for a web design firm, as a creative artist. That’s where she discovered her second calling. Although seemingly opposite, fantasy and technology are Deborah’s two main passions. She is now part of the argyllfreepress.com team, for which she creates detailed tutorials & reviews for some of the world’s most exciting gadgets. She also tries to squeeze a verse or two in her reviews from time to time.