"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both"
(from "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost)
In the microscopic world not only can individual particles travel two paths at once but the path or paths traveled can be altered after the paths have already been traversed, in effect changing the past trajectory of the particle. Students enrolled in PHY 262 Modern Physics have recently completed a series of experiments using the state-of-the-art equipment and facilities at the University of Rochester’s Institute of Optics illustrating these and other “spooky” consequences of quantum theory.
In addition to the Quantum Eraser experiment, in which the past behavior of individual particles can be “erased” by future measurements, students also successfully entangled pairs of photons illustrating an instantaneous action-at-a-distance behavior that Albert Einstein famously referred to as “spooky” and went to his grave attempting to disprove. Both of these experiments have only recently been adapted from the research literature and the techniques developed in these experiments form the basis of the emerging technologies of quantum computing, quantum cryptography and quantum state teleportation. Learning abstract quantum theory from hands-on experiments provides students not only a better understanding of “quantum weirdness” but also a unique experience with technology that they will encounter in the future high-tech workplace.
This unique experience is made possible by a $486,360 National Science Foundation grant jointly awarded to the University of Rochester, MCC, Rochester Institute of Technology and Bryn Mawr College. Paul D’Alessandris (Engineering Science and Physics) is the co-Principle Investigator on the project with representatives from the other institutions.
The photo below shows MCC students Joel Hornbeck and Mike Bedette preparing to alter the past.
Paul D'Alessandris
Engineering, Science and Physics
03/29/2013
Attachments:
 Quantum Eraser.jpg
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