Photon entanglement & quantum-d

Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 13:14:06 -0700 (PDT)
From: List Modertor <rhett@nonlocal.com>
To: quantum-d@teleport.com
Subject: Photon entanglement & quantum-d

A note to quantum-d readers:

The following summary/excerpt from the New York Times concerning 
recent observations of quantum entanglement was distributed as 
part of the free SCIENCE-WEEK mailing-list. (Copyright information 
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--->
 QUANTUM PHOTON ENTANGLEMENT AT A DISTANCE OF SEVEN MILES

 Whether or not the quantum mechanical behavior of elementary
 particles is called mysterious depends, more or less, on the
 attitude one has. If there is a demand that the behavior of these
 particles be explainable with the logistic structure of human
 language, then some aspects of their behavior seem mysterious
 indeed. On the other hand, if there is a willingness to admit
 that the logical structure of human language may not at present
 be isomorphic with the logical structure of the laws that govern
 the behavior of these particles, then it is probably best to put
 off notions of mysteries and take the behavior for what it is.
 This week there was announced to the popular press, before
 publication, the results of a twin-photon experiment in
 Switzerland. Nicolas Gisin et al (University of Geneva, CH)
 reported that a pair of twin photons split and sent along two
 diverging paths, when arriving at terminals seven miles apart,
 exhibit the phenomenon of quantum "entanglement". The gist of it
 is that the detection of one of the photons effectively causes
 the collapse of the spectrum of its wave-function solutions to a
 single solution, and this collapse instantaneously causes the
 collapse of the possible quantum states of the other photon, in
 this case seven miles away. The melodramatic notion (purveyed by
 the press) is that information has somehow travelled from one
 photon to the other at a speed greater than the speed of light,
 with the result that great canons of thought are thereby
 destroyed. But perhaps the more prosaic reality is that any
 attempt to describe non-classical events with language based on
 classical laws and perceptions cannot succeed. (New York Times 22
 July)
<---

Finally, many of you have asked about the status of quantum-d...
this moderated, web-archived list is in principle alive and well.
Many new subscribers have joined quantum-d since the most recent 
message was distributed to the list 3 months ago. I would like 
to extend a warm welcome (and long time no see) to all subscribers.

Any questions concerning the appropriateness of postings to this 
list may be directed to me.

Rhett Savage 



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