Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser, and Anton Zeilinger received the Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday for their work that “laid the foundation for a new age of quantum technology,” according to the Nobel Committee for Physics.
The committee stated in a briefing that the researchers have each carried out “groundbreaking investigations using entangled quantum states, where two particles behave as a single unit even when they are separated.” They have paved the path for “new technology based upon quantum information,” according to the statement.
The work of the laureates relies on that of John Stewart Bell, a physicist who worked in the 1960s to determine whether particles could continue operate together in concert even after they had separated too far for regular communication to occur, a phenomenon known as quantum entanglement.
Particles can coexist in two or more locations simultaneously, according to quantum mechanics. Until they are measured or observed in some other way, they do not acquire formal qualities. No matter how far a particle has traveled from its pair, a change in its companion can be seen by measuring one particle, such as its location or “spin.”
The three laureates conducted studies independently that contributed to clarify a key assumption concerning quantum entanglement. This claim pertains to the behavior of microscopic particles, such as electrons, that have interacted in the past but have since separated.
The first was Dr. Clauser, an American, in 1972. He attempted to detect quantum entanglement at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in New York by shooting hundreds of photons in opposite directions to look at a phenomenon known as polarization. He did this using duct tape and spare parts. The correlation between the photon pairs’ measured polarizations demonstrated that Bell’s inequality had been broken and that the photon pairs were entangled, or functioning in concert.
The study was continued ten years later by French scientist Dr. Aspect and his team at the University of Paris. Another experiment that looked for entanglement among three or more particles was conducted in 1998 under the direction of Austrian scientist Dr. Zeilinger.
According to Eva Olsson, a member of the Nobel Committee for Physics, quantum information science has extensive implications for fields including quantum computing and secure information transfer.
She called quantum information science a “vibrant and quickly evolving field.” The forecasts have shook the very base of how we interpret measures and opened possibilities to a new universe.
According to the Nobel committee, the three researchers were chosen for their groundbreaking work in quantum information science and tests with entangled photons that proved Bell inequalities were broken.
The committee posted a statement on Twitter that stated, “Being able to modify and govern quantum states and all their layers of attributes provides us access to tools with unanticipated potential.” The award, according to Dr. Zeilinger, is “an inspiration to young people.” “More than 100 young people collaborated with me over the years and made all this possible,” he added. “The prize would not be conceivable without them.”