a visit to fairyland, and the circus
Careful said:
I always love it when quantum amateurs come up with an idiotic phrase like yours
You clearly do not understand how you just might do that, despite of the several references/hints I have dropped once in a while.
Physics is not about citation out of a book, but about a constant exploration to UNDERSTAND nature. Now, QM tells us that if we want to get the right results at the microscopic level, then we have to believe in magic. Therefore, any classical explanation for the very reasons why science impovered in the 1920 ties (atomic spectra, black body radiation) is IMO of major interest. As I said repeatedly and gave references accordingly, there exist hopeful - partial - results in this direction.
I apologise, Careful, I know you are serious and don't deserve jibes. There is no reason for anyone to attempt to be humorous at your expense. But really, if you would, what is the difference between your statement and mine? Of course, if someone shows that the known features of particle physics can be demonstrated in a classical model, then it would be less than amature-ish to insist on maintaining quantum puzzlement.
However, the facts seem to show otherwise. I cannot explain quantum effects such as are shown in benchtop experiments by classical means. Maybe we need a list so that we can consider them one by one, but starting from the early days, for example, there is the two slit experiment demonstrating wave-particle duality. I have not seen any classical treatment that shows how a single event involving a single photon can behave in that odd way.
Now I will admit to you as part of my apology that the idea of magic is not entirely disreputable in my estimation. You see I am giving you stones to throw at me if you wish. Here: I have in the past and hope again in the future to visit undespoiled wilderness places where elves and other fair critters still reside.
But even close to home, where magic is more often just a street trick, designed with the sole purpose of transfering wealth from the gullible to the crafty, there is a certain pedantic value to it. It is the mystery. How did they do that? Motivation to investigate and perhaps discover.
It happens I am re-reading Penrose, The Road to Reality, in his discussion of imaginary numbers, in which he finds the word "magic" to be useful. Magic, in this sense, and in the sense which I prefer, means the demonstation of verifiable actions which seem to result in consequences which are forbidden under certain rules of behavior which we ordinarily find reliable. Something must be going on which we do not yet see.
Now, I have given up this personal revelation just to show my honesty in that there are lots of things I do not understand, and I am aware that some of them at least are presented in a way meant to decieve me to my loss. I give you this because what I want from you is that you stop using the word "magic" as if it were something entirely reprehensible, in order that we may see what it is that you find reprehensible about the findings you slur as magical.
I don't have a subscription to Nature and have not had an opportunity to closely examine the claims that are made at the top of this thread. I am vaguely aware of the idea of quantum computation and the seemingly magical things that photons can do. I put up the idea of the un-opened letter in my first post in this thread hopeing someone would be able to tell me how this experiment was more than that, but no one here who has read the actual report seems to be forthcoming on that topic. Probably it isn't really very interesting if you have better access to the research than I currently have. No one has taken time to show me how entanglement is different from the unopened letter trick either.
However, I continue in my perhaps naive belief that there is a natural, physical explanation for these events, and faith that I can understand it if I apply myself. I may be wrong on both counts, or either, but I do not find it productive or interesting to brand the events with a slur and so justify my ignorence. If these researchers have found yet another way to uncover the quantum mystery in a bench-top apparatus, I would gladly pay my quarter to enter their sideshow tent.
And if you, dear Careful, have found out the secret of their machinations I would be grateful to you if you presented it here so that I can spend my nickles on soda pop instead. Rather, you seem to me to be a spoil-sport at the circus, muttering darkly that it is all a trick and that anyone who buys a ticket is a fool. Sadly I acknowlege that you are almost certainly right, but I should still like to experience the trick myself, and if possible, figure out how it is done, or, failing that, have someone wiser explain it to my understanding.
Meanwhile, I am having what passes for fun under my thinning canvas, and I hope you are having fun also. And there is always the remote chance that we will discover something interesting.
Thanks for your comments.
Richard
I am humbly waiting for a detailed paper on the arxiv.
