Photon Emission & Atom Entanglement: Spin & Beyond

In summary: For example, if you have an experiment setup to detect a particle that is being emitted from an atom, and the atom is in a state of equilibrium (not moving), then the emitted particle and the atom are said to be entangled. However, if the atom is moving, then the emitted particle and the atom will not be entangled because the momentum of the atom will have shifted since the emission.
  • #1
cragar
2,552
3
If a photon is emitted from the nucleus of an atom, and the atom is at rest is the photon and the atom entangled? If their spin angular momentum was zero before the emission. And is it possible to have an atom emit a photon from its nucleus and one of its electrons at the same time, and would all 3 of these particles be entangled. Or does entanglement only work between 2 particles.
 
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  • #2
I'm not technically prepared on this questions, but as I read a lot of divulgence books I just answer the last question.:tongue:

It has been created a state of three entangled particles (photons) as well as four. The main advances in the field were carried by the GHZ (after Greenberg-Horne-Zeilinger) team, which managed to obtain the first three-particle entangled state.

Anton Zeilinger also managed to teleport a photon :D

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger_state" [Broken]
 
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  • #3
You know, long before the word "entanglement" came onto the popular scene, we used to call it coherence. And yes, all the products resulting from a single reaction are coherent until they are observed or interfered with. A more typical example of a nuclear reaction would be beta decay, in which an electron and neutrino are emitted. And they will be coherent with each other and with the daughter nucleus, meaning that their spins and energies are correlated, but in principle not determined until a measurement takes place, even if they travel to alpha centauri first. The trick comes not in producing such a situation, but in detecting it.
 
  • #4
The poster above me has already answered to most of the doubts highlighted in the OP but technically isn't it impossible to have an atom at rest or is my thinking wrong? I mean for an atom to be at rest would imply zero energy or an integer below absolute zero :s
 
  • #5
If you consider Heisenberg principle, to have an atom at completely rest you must have it delocalized everywhere in the space
[itex]\sigma_x\cdot\sigma_p\geq\frac{\hbar}{2}[/itex]

So, even if theoretically you could achieve such condition, it's obviously impossible:tongue2:...
 
  • #6
Now that I think about it you don't need an atom to be at rest to have entangled particles. Like what Bill K said, the trick is detecting the event.
 

1. What is photon emission?

Photon emission is the process by which an atom releases a photon, or a packet of electromagnetic energy, as it transitions from a higher energy state to a lower energy state. This process is a fundamental aspect of quantum mechanics and plays a crucial role in many technologies, such as lasers and LED lights.

2. What is atom entanglement?

Atom entanglement is a phenomenon in which two or more atoms become strongly correlated, so that the state of one atom is dependent on the state of the other(s). This correlation is maintained even if the atoms are separated by large distances, making entanglement a key concept in quantum communication and computing.

3. How is spin related to photon emission and atom entanglement?

Spin is an intrinsic property of particles, including photons and atoms, that describes their angular momentum. In the context of photon emission, spin plays a role in determining the direction and polarization of the emitted photon. In atom entanglement, spin can be used to create and manipulate the entangled states of atoms.

4. What is beyond spin in photon emission and atom entanglement?

Beyond spin, there are other quantum properties that can play a role in photon emission and atom entanglement. For example, the energy levels and orbital states of atoms can also affect photon emission, while the quantum states of particles can be entangled in ways beyond just their spin. These complex interactions continue to be an active area of research in quantum mechanics.

5. How are photon emission and atom entanglement used in practical applications?

Photon emission and atom entanglement have numerous applications in various fields, including quantum computing, cryptography, and teleportation. They also play a crucial role in technologies such as quantum sensors, quantum clocks, and quantum communication systems. Research in this area has the potential to lead to even more advanced technologies in the future.

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