The idea of teleportation has fascinated the human mind for centuries. Movies such as Back to the Future, Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse, and other pop culture hits have only expanded and popularized the idea. It is one thing to see teleportation on screen, and a whole other idea to even fathom it in our reality. Could teleportation actually happen? If so, what concepts would need to be explored to teleport humans? These questions can all be answered by the great world of Quantum Physics.
What is quantum physics? Don’t let the daunting name scare you! The basic principles of Quantum physics are pretty easy to understand. Quantum physics is the study of subatomic particles at their most basic level, such as electrons and photons, and how they interact with each other.
These particles, according to the Quantum Theory, are able to exist in a way humans never have: existing in multiple places at a time. There are two key concepts that allow this to happen. Firstly ,the entanglement of subatomic particles is when two particles become connected, and remain connected in action even when they are apart. For example, if one particle moves to the right, the other does at the same time due to their connection.
Superposition further develops this relationship. Superposition is the idea that these particles behave like waves, and are therefore able to be in two different states at once when interfering.
The Quantum state, as physicists call it, was famously explained like this by scientist Erwin Schrondinger: Let’s say you have two cats in a cardboard box, along with a bottle of poison. You can’t know, unless you’re looking inside, which cat would drink the poison first and die. Therefore, you can theoretically assume that the cats are both “alive and dead”. Subatomic particles work in the same way, with the concept being applied to being in two different positions at once.
Niels Bohr, the named inventor of Quantum Theory, was gifted the Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery. However, women in physics, who have been largely forgotten, made copious contributions to the discovery of this concept. One woman in particular was Grete Hermann.
Grete Hermann made a large contribution to the Quantum physics world, when she proved the Erroneous Theorem, predicted by John Von Meumann, to be incorrect. This led to the widely accepted possibility of hidden variable theory to be forgotten, and led us to the modern studies of quantum mechanics we have today. Thanks to her, we are one step closer to major breakthroughs in the field, such as even teleportation.
But how would teleportation be possible? Currently, only small particles are able to be teleported through quantum mechanics from one place to another. However, if our advancements in technology allow for us to compute and copy the exact particle makeup of a human (because we are made out of entirely particles) we would be able to teleport from one place to another, in a matter of seconds! These ideas also apply to the medical field. If someone has a failing liver, for example, the makeup of a healthy liver could be copied into their particle makeup, while the failing one is deleted!
The possibilities are endless with Quantum Mechanics, and it is an under-studied yet very interesting branch of physics that should be looked at more carefully. With enough technology and scientific research, quantum physics could truly change human lives for the better one day.
Works Cited
Hersenberg , C. L. “Grete Hermann: An Early Contributor to Quantum Theory.” Grete Hermann: An Early Contributor to Quantum Theory , 2008, www.europeanwomeninmaths.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/gretehermann.pdf.
“What Is Quantum Physics?” Caltech Science Exchange, www.scienceexchange.caltech.edu/topics/quantum-science-explained/quantum-physics. Accessed 1 June 2024.
About the Author:
Hello, my name is Elâ, and I am a rising Senior in high school (hey class of 2025)! I have been fascinated with biology and chemistry since I was very young, and I hope to share my love for science and its history through my articles!
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