What Events Create Spooky Electrons in Quantum Mechanics?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the phenomenon of "spooky action at a distance" in quantum mechanics, particularly focusing on events that can produce entangled electrons and the states these electrons can exhibit. Participants explore theoretical interpretations, experimental setups, and the implications of Bell's theorem.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants describe "spooky action at a distance" as a relationship between two electrons that appear in the same event, where the state of one electron is correlated with the opposite state of the other.
  • There is a mention of Bell's theorem and its implications for understanding quantum mechanics, with some participants asserting that it provides a criterion for interpreting quantum theory.
  • One participant argues that Einstein's interpretation assumes locality, while quantum mechanics is non-local, suggesting that particles exist everywhere in the universe with varying probabilities.
  • Another participant provides details on experimental setups for producing entangled electrons, mentioning entanglement swapping and the production of entangled photons through specific crystals.
  • Different interpretations of Bell's theorem are discussed, with some participants emphasizing the mathematical inequalities derived by Bell and the experimental validation credited to Alain Aspect.
  • There are conflicting views on the nature of locality in quantum mechanics, with some asserting that it contradicts the concept of "spooky action at a distance."

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the implications of Bell's theorem and the interpretations of quantum mechanics, particularly regarding locality and the nature of entanglement. The discussion remains unresolved with multiple competing interpretations presented.

Contextual Notes

Some statements reflect varying levels of understanding of quantum mechanics, and there are references to specific experimental setups and theoretical frameworks that may not be universally accepted or understood.

Passionate Eng
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I watched a documentary about Quantum mechanics.
There's a phenomenon which einstein called "spooky action at a distance" states that two electrons appeared in the same event are related to each other in a spooky way,which means that if one of them has a specific state then the other one will have an opposite state.And this was found to be true in 1970s by John bell.
My question is what kind of events can produce spooky related electrons and what states these electrons can have?
Note:If there is something grammatically wrong or incorrect with the context please correct me because I'm working on improving my English.
And thanks in advance. :)
 
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How much of Quantum Mechanics do you know, and from what source(s) was that information obtained? You've created this thread with an 'A' (advanced) label which may have been done in error.
 

I don't know too much about it.
And I think the presenter is trusted and the documentary was broadcast on the BBC.
you think this information are wrong?
StevieTNZ said:
How much of Quantum Mechanics do you know, and from what source(s) was that information obtained? You've created this thread with an 'A' (advanced) label which may have been done in error.
 
Passionate Eng said:
And I think the presenter is trusted and the documentary was broadcast on the BBC.
Yes, I've seen that documentary before. The presenter is a Professor of Physics in the UK.

Passionate Eng said:
you think this information are wrong?
No.

I shall leave it at that, and someone should come along shortly to answer your queries.
 
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The 'spooky action at the distance" was Einstein objection to the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum theory.
The famous Einstein Podolsky Rosen paradox was supposed to prove that quantum theory does not provide a complete description of reality.
John Bell did not did actually prove anything, he derived an equations, Bells inequality, which would provide a definite criterion which interpretation of the quantum theory was right. The actual experimental proof is credited to Alain Aspect.
I did read Bell's paper, it was not easy to grasp. Basically, it boils down to this:
Suppose you create two electrons with the total spin equal zero.
In Einstein interpretation, there are two separate particles, both have definite spin values at the moment of creation and measurement just reveals the value.
In Copenhagen interpretations the two electrons are described by one wavefunction, which has local maxima corresponding to the apparent position of the two separate particles.
 
Sorry, I pressed something and what I was typing got posted before I finished.
Bell derived mathematical equations in form of inequalities to set a criterion which of the interpretation was correct.
My own understanding is as follows:
Einstein assumed locality, that is a body like an electron was localized in space. Quantum mechanics is non-local. A localized electron can be represented by a superposition of plane waves extending from plus to minus infinity. In other words, every elementary particle exist everywhere in the universe, just not with the same probability.
So, there is not 'spooky action at a distance' because both electrons in the EPR thought experiment are present everywhere. Measuring spin at any point collapses the wave function to a particular state.
 
Henryk said:
Quantum mechanics is non-local

That's incorrect.

P'ease review Bell's theorem.

Thanks
Bill
 
Passionate Eng said:
My question is what kind of events can produce spooky related electrons and what states these electrons can have?
In experiments entangled electrons are produced by rather complicated setup using entanglement swapping. For example in this experiment https://arxiv.org/abs/1508.05949 first, two electron-photon entangled pairs are produced and then entanglement swapping is performed using both photons.

It is easier to produce entangled photons using specific crystals that can split one high energy photon into two lower energy photons. See for example this paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0205171
Pair of entangled photons can be produced in four different entangled states:
- both photons have the same polarization when measured in horizontal/vertical basis and the same polarization when measured in +45°/-45° basis
- the same polarization in H/V basis, opposite in +45°/-45° basis
- opposite polarization in H/V basis, the same in +45°/-45° basis
- opposite polarization in H/V basis, opposite in +45°/-45° basis
 

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