Teleportation Achieved!

[mustang292]

In the 2001 Guinness book of World Records, they report that Scientists had successfully teleported a Photon Atom. Basically by taking 2 atoms that are in no way near each other but somehow causing the other to take on the exact physical attributes as the other by messing with a 3rd atom to cause the whole process. I forget all the details.

 

Anyway, has anyone else heard of this and are there any links to read more about the experiment. Also, what implications could this have for us. If I find my book, I will Quote exactly what it said.

[Sayonara]

I suggest you look at physics journals and periodicals, rather than non-science popular culture books.

[5614]

Basically by taking 2 atoms that are in no way near each other but somehow causing the other to take on the exact physical attributes as the other by messing with a 3rd atom to cause the whole process. I forget all the details.

That sounds exactly like quantum teleportation.... which is not the same as teleportation as in "beam me up scotty".

 

No matter or energy is teleported, only the quantum state of the atom or photon, so the laws of physics are not broken. This is a known phonomena and is nothing new or physics-law-breaking.

 

Quantum entanglement: (used in quantum teleportation)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entanglement

 

Quantum teleportation:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_teleportation

 

Quantum computers: (use above mentioned quantum phonomena)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_computer

 

NB: That is all from one good site, there are obviously many other sites which have information on them.

 

Here:

http://www.scienceforums.net/forums/showthread.php?t=4498&page=1

is a 3 page thread from this website about Quantum entanglement, if you can't be bothered to read the whole thing just skip to the posts by Swansont.

[swansont]

teleported a Photon Atom.

 

A photon is not an atom, and an atom is not a photon.

[5614]

A photon is not an atom, and an atom is not a photon.

OMG I overlooked that when I read the post

 

Anyway, it could have been either.

 

If it was a photon then the polarisation for it would have been teleported.

 

If it was an atom then the spin for it would have been teleported.

[ed84c]

I suggest you look at physics journals and periodicals, rather than non-science popular culture books.

 

Sayo has a very good point. I think the title for this thread is a little whimsical for a scienceforum.

 

I did hear however of a calculation suggesting that the fastest teleportation device to transport a cup of coffe, will take, wait for it.

 

The lifespan of the current universe.

 

Kinda defeats the point really?

[5614]

To say "Teleportation Achieved!" when referring to Quantum teleportation is not at all "whimsical" IMO.

[Sayonara]

But it is somewhat misleading.

[mustang292]

Sorry if you think it was misleading. It is a type of Teleportation though. The funny thing is that I don't think we will ever be able to do the Beam me up Scotty thing, but I do think we will be able to travel faster than the speed of light in about a thousand years.

[Sayonara]

I meant misleading on the part of the Guinness Book of Records.

[Gilded]

"but I do think we will be able to travel faster than the speed of light in about a thousand years."

 

You'll never know if one day swansont warms up his particle accelerator and accidentally drops a jellybean in it, tearing up the fabric of space-time, causing it to fold so that you can go to Proxima Centauri in a second.

 

(Although, that still wouldn't be FTL travel, because you travel through less space but technically it's... err, more space.)

[Sorcerer]

A photon is not an atom, and an atom is not a photon.

 

What about a hydrogen ion??

[swansont]

What about a hydrogen ion??

 

H⁺ is a proton.

[Sorcerer]

But isnt it also an atom. Like a lithium ion is an atom?

[BenSon]

Yes a proton can be an atom but a photon can't be an atom.

 

~Scott

[Sorcerer]

ah my bad, need me glasses 8-)

[Sorcerer]

ok, well if atomos (greek right?) is the most basic level, why have sub-atomic then, why not make sub-atomic, atomic, and make atoms macro particles.

[BenSon]

If you ask me physics is already confusing enough I like the system we have now

 

~Scott

[Sorcerer]

Hmmmm I guess, perhaps its only english that is confusing though. Maybe the original poster called it a photon atom because he had read a photon was the smallest particle.

[ed84c]

To say "Teleportation Achieved!" when referring to Quantum teleportation is not at all "whimsical" IMO.

 

Sorry Couldnt think of correct wording.

 

IMO?

[swansont]

IMO?

 

"In My Opinion"

 

IMHO = "In My Honest/Humble Opinion"

[Gilded]

"ok, well if atomos (greek right?) is the most basic level, why have sub-atomic then, why not make sub-atomic, atomic, and make atoms macro particles."

 

Atomos means somewhere along the lines of uncut, unable to be divided or something, so when they discovered that stuff was made of atoms they probably thought "Hey, that Democritus-dude said something about fundamental particles" and named atoms, well, atoms, as people thought that that's the smallest it's going to get, and that's what we think of quarks right now (although I don't think a quark will split, no matter how much you cry and scream at it). And anyway, you'll have a lot of angry physicists at your door (possibly armed with portable cyclotrons) if you start messing semantics into physics.

 

Btw ed, http://www.acronymfinder.com is a rather awesome site (and it has some really disturbingly odd acronyms too!).

[gib65]

Gilded is right,

 

It's also note worthy to point out that once you dissect an atom, you're no longer dealing with matter proper. Now you've got electricity, proton beams (or energy fields), and the like. So the atom remain the smallest building block of matter.