Bound Electrons and Spintronics

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    Bound Electrons
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the behavior of electrons, particularly in the context of quantum entanglement and spin manipulation in quantum computing. Participants explore the implications of separating electrons from a bound state and the effects on their spins and entanglement status.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions whether changing the spin of one electron in a quantum computer would affect the spin of another electron that was previously in the same atom but is now separated.
  • Another participant introduces the concept of quantum entanglement, suggesting it may be relevant to the question of whether the electrons remain entangled after separation.
  • A subsequent reply confirms that entanglement is the correct term and seeks clarification on whether the electrons remain entangled after being separated.
  • One participant expresses uncertainty about the conditions under which electrons become entangled but assumes they are entangled upon removal and believes they remain so indefinitely.
  • Another participant elaborates on the nature of entangled electrons, stating that if they are entangled and one electron's spin is measured, it will determine the spin of the other, but if the spin of one is reversed without measurement, they will still be entangled with a different correlation.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the nature of entanglement after separation, with some asserting that the electrons remain entangled and others questioning the conditions and implications of such entanglement.

Contextual Notes

There are unresolved questions regarding the specific conditions under which entanglement occurs and the implications of manipulating the spin of one electron on the entangled state of the pair.

Lyuokdea
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I was recently reading an article about how quantum computer scientists have found a way to infuence the spin of electrons, http://www.aip.org/enews/physnews/2002/split/595-2.html,

My question is, I know that for instance, if two electrons were in the same atom of ground state He, the electrons must have different spins, but because of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, there is only a 50% chance that either electron has either spin. My question is, if these two electrons were taken away from the He atom and one was placed in a quantum computer where its spin was changed, the changing of its spin would not have any impact on the spin of the other electron would it? I mean, once the two electrons are taken away, they are no longer bound, are they?
 
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anybody know?
 
I'm not sure in this particular case, but I think you mean quantum entanglement.
 
correct, that's the right word, but my question is, are the electrons still entangled after they are separated?
 
I don't know under what circumstances a pair of electrons will become entangled, but if we assume they are the moment they're removed I'm almost certain that they will stay that way forever.
 
Well basically what you're looking at is a case of two entangled electrons with opposite spin. Once they are removed from each other they are still entangled, so a measurement of one of them's spin will also detrmine the other ones spin, so they are still 'bonded'. However if you reverse the spin of one of the electrons without measuring it, they are still entangled. However, instead of the measuremnt of one electron defining the spin of the other electron as the opposite of that measurement, a measurment of one electron's spin will mean that the other one will have the same spin as the measured electron.

In summary, they are still entangled and they both still have a 50-50 chance of having either spin, but this time when one is measured they both will have the same spin.
 

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