Greetings
all!
As
I was sitting in bad traffic the other day, my thoughts turned to teleportation:
wouldn’t it be nice to tap on an address on your phone and – poof! –
find yourself there immediately!? Wait, isn’t there an app for that already?! Unfortunately, the technology is not quite there yet - but keep reading!
As I was pondering teleportation, I thought of Star Trek with its famous catchphrase “Beam me up, Scotty!” (never actually uttered on the show!). It was fascinating and a bit spooky seeing people slowly disintegrate only to reappear shortly on some faraway planet. I tried
understanding the physics behind the beaming-up process, and apparently we are
talking about quantum physics and entanglement theory. To be honest, a lot of
information is beyond my understanding but that does not stop me!
In
quantum physics, entangled particles can be linked in a way that an action on one affects the other, even at a distance (https://www.livescience.com/28550-how-quantum-entanglement-works-infographic.html).
Maybe
like operating a puppet, I thought? Or do particles actually merge into one? Spooky!! Actually, “spooky” was the word Albert Einstein used when describing the phenomenon of entangled particles
that remain connected. Specifically, he is said to call it “spooky action at a
distance.” He did not appear to be a fan but I wonder what he would have thought now!!
A lot of scientists around the world have been tangling with the entanglement theory! Just last year, Chinese quantum researchers announced they had split pairs of photons and
beamed one of each pair to a satellite orbiting more than 300 miles overhead.
They also split pairs of photons on the satellite and teleported them back to
Earth (http://time.com/4856222/a-teleportation-to-outer-space/).
The
articles I have read seemed to focus on how this could lead to very secure
internet - information over matter. But what about humans? Can we (and do we actually want to) be
teleported?
According
to Professor Hanson of Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands,
“If you believe we are nothing more than a collection of atoms strung together
in a particular way, then in principle it should be possible to teleport
ourselves from one place to another” because the laws of physics actually do
not prevent “the teleportation of large objects, including humans” (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/10863929/Beam-me-up-Scotty-teleportation-could-become-reality.html).
We have seen how fast technology advances so we should not rule out human teleportation in our (probably distant) future. However, I am not sure people would want to
be split into molecules and to teleport piecemeal to another location. Personally, I am quite attached to the way my atoms are strung together.
But the
possibilities… Except how would we regulate where everyone is ending up? Wouldn't it be crowded there?
OTHER RESOURCES:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpx3HZOkLFA (short video)
- http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/06/china-s-quantum-satellite-achieves-spooky-action-record-distance
- https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.technologyreview.com/s/610106/chinese-satellite-uses-quantum-cryptography-for-secure-video-conference-between-continents/amp/
- https://www.google.com/amp/www.wnd.com/2017/07/beam-me-up-scotty-soon-a-reality/amp/
- https://phys.org/news/2014-06-einstein-quantum-mechanics-hed-today.html
What
do you think? Drop me a line!
So in essence you would not need a visa to get anywhere ��, and we can go to lunch anywhere in the globe, etc....�� but there are lots of cons as well of course.... if it can only be used by good people for good, I am all for it, which may not be realistic.....therefore, I can wait in this kind of technology as long as it takes, and prefer to see advances in our humanity and humanitarian efforts first and foremost!
ReplyDeleteThanks for such a thoughtful comment, Hoda! I agree - such technology has a lot of pros and cons! But it is amazing what scientists come up with!
DeleteAs much as I like the idea of teleportation I think it should be used only on urgent cases like family emergency or some natural disasters. I love the idea not needing a Visa to travel but I would like to enjoy my flight on airplane or ride on the bus to enjoy scenery :D
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading! I once had a 16-hour non-stop flight where I would have loved to be teleported after a couple of hours! Unfortunately, I do not find air travel to be comfortable but sometimes one does see amazing scenery! Happy travels!
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