Exploring the Speed of Quantum Entanglement: An Investigation on Instantaneity

[idea2000]

Hi,

I was reading this from the Wikipedia entry on Quantum Entanglement:

"...measurements performed on one system seem to be instantaneously influencing other systems entangled with it..."

I was wondering, how instantaneous exactly is instantaneous? Is there really no time delay between the two particles picking their states? And, have there been any experiments done to confirm this?

Thanks!

 

[NerfMonkey]

From what I've read (which isn't really that much...), nobody knows how entanglement works. Some people think that the particles were given the properties measured at their creation and others think that this shows a lack of locality (the need to send a signal of some sort between two objects in order for them to influence one another). Personally I think the second possibility is really neat. Yet others think that quantum entanglement gives evidence that space is just a concept and not a physical entity; that it doesn't really exist.

If you're really interested in this you should read The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene. There's a section in there that covers this topic pretty extensively.

I think the short answer to your question is yes, particles seem to influence each other instantaneously regardless of the distance between them.

If anyone finds any misinformation in my explanation please let me know; I don't know very much about this.

 

[denian]

I find this topic fascinating and complex. The concept of instantaneous influence between entangled particles is one that has been extensively studied and debated in the scientific community. While it is true that measurements on one particle can seem to affect its entangled partner instantly, it is important to understand that this does not violate the speed of light limit set by Einstein's theory of relativity.

The instantaneous influence of quantum entanglement is a result of the non-locality of quantum mechanics, where particles can be connected in a way that is not bound by physical distance. However, this does not mean that information is being transmitted faster than the speed of light. Instead, it suggests that the particles were never truly separate to begin with, and their states were already correlated before any measurements were made.

To answer your question about the exact speed of this instantaneous influence, it is difficult to quantify as it is not a physical transmission of information. It is more accurate to say that the particles' states are correlated instantaneously, rather than any physical influence occurring.

There have been numerous experiments done to confirm the phenomenon of quantum entanglement and its instantaneous influence. One famous experiment is the "Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox," which aimed to test the principle of locality in quantum mechanics. This and other experiments have consistently shown that entangled particles do indeed exhibit instantaneous influence on each other's states.

In conclusion, the concept of instantaneous influence in quantum entanglement is still being studied and debated in the scientific community. While it may seem counterintuitive, it is a well-supported phenomenon that has been confirmed through various experiments. Further research and experimentation in this field will continue to deepen our understanding of this fascinating aspect of quantum mechanics.