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Oxford scientists achieve teleportation with quantum supercomputer
(www.independent.co.uk)
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this post was submitted on 07 Feb 2025
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Important note: this is about quantum teleportation. They transferred data between two quantum computers without a cable or wifi. Teleporting matter, let alone matter in useful quantities is far off.
That's not entirely correct, they did use a fiber optic cable to transfer the data, as the more detailed article linked in another comment states. Quantum entanglement itself can't be used to transfer data; you still need to send the entangled particles through some physical means.
So what is being teleported? The state of the two entangled particles?
This highlights the problem with using that term. The two particles assume a state at the same time at a distance. It has 0% to do with the colloquial term.
Yes. Information is what's being teleported. The photons that carry the information still have to travel from sender to recipient but the information they contain doesn't exist until it is received. Like how Shrodinger's Cat is both alive and dead until you open the box to check.
I see. that makes more sense, thanks!
No problem! I love getting into the comments under articles on quantum stuff 'cuz the topic is weirdly unintuitive from the classical perspective and a lot of folks share some common misconceptions about jargon like "teleportation" and "entanglement". Please do ask if you've got any other questions! 😄
So, Bluetooth?
nah, bluetooth and wifi both use electromagnetic radiation. I didn't read the article and I understand nothing about quantum mechanics, but I don't think they use photons in this. someone correct me if I'm wrong.
Allow me to oversimplify for the sake of understanding:
Quantum entanglement is a process where the measurable properties of two particles become linked. For example, an entangled pair of photons might share the same polarization, so that when you measure one, you'd also learn the polarization of the other without having to measure it.
That's quantum teleportation in a nutshell, send out an entangled pair of photons and each of the recipients will know what the other got without having to ask. They call it 'teleportation' because the information about who got what doesn't exist until the photons are measured, and can't be intercepted in transit because the act of measuring an entangled particle breaks the entanglement. You physically cannot tap or eavesdrop on a QE link. To do so successfully you would have to be able to capture a photon on the line and transmit an identical copy in its place simultaneously, but the act of measuring takes a non-zero amount of time and even a nanosecond of delay would be obvious to the intended recipient.
Entangled photons are like a pair of identical Shrodinger's Cats, you can't know if they are alive or dead until you open the box, but you do know that both boxes will show the same result regardless of where they end up.
What's new in this article is that they've managed to entangle entire qubits between separate computers, like a single Shrodinger's Cat that exists in two places at once. They'll be able to use this technique to develop the quantum equivalent of parallel processing.
They used a fiber optic cable which transmits information using photons.
Bluetooth ain't faster than the speed of light
It is, in fact, significantly slower, when it works at all.
This is not correct. Bluetooth is a radio frequency communication tool. RF is part of the electromagnetic spectrum and does, in fact, "move' at the speed of light.
I think they were making a joke about the bluetooth protocol rather than literally describing the electromagnetic field.
Oh... :(
What @knightly@pawb.social said, but I do appreciate the lesson!
Yes, I got really excited, wondering if they'd solved reassembly.