Quantum embezzlement: An entanglement trick once thought impossible exists for real
It happens when one system quietly supplies entanglement to another system, helping the latter change its state, without being affected itself. It's a bit like quietly borrowing a few grains of sand from a vast beach to build a tiny sandcastle. The beach looks untouched, yet the sand is used.
For years, scientists thought such perfectly entangled systems existed only in theory. However, a new study from researchers at Leibniz University Hannover in Germany shows that embezzlement can occur naturally in a class of quantum materials called critical fermion chains.
Critical fermion chains are one-dimensional systems made of fermions (a type of subatomic particle) that sit at the transition point between two phases. At this point, they become highly sensitive and exhibit long-range quantum entanglement.
The discovery of embezzlement in a real physical system like critical fermion chains is of great importance as it can contribute to the development of robust technologies that rely on entanglement and involve large-scale quantum information transfer.
So what makes quantum embezzlement so strange? Well, normally, when you use a resource in quantum physics, like a highly entangled system, you expect its state to change. However, with embezzlement, it's like using a magic battery that powers a process without ever draining.
For this to work, the resource must be very entangled, so much so that many scientists doubted such a system could physically exist. It seemed too ideal to be real.
Moreover, the embezzlement here is universal, meaning that the resource system can help create any entangled state, not just specific ones. It works in many different situations, not just for one special case.
The study authors decided to investigate whether this universal embezzlement could actually occur in real, physical systems. They started by focusing on critical fermion chains, and instead of working with small, manageable systems, the researchers looked directly at infinite systems, using what physicists call the thermodynamic limit.
In this setup, they split the system into a left and right half and studied the entanglement between them. Surprisingly, they found that these half-chains satisfied the strict criteria for universal embezzlement that the team had defined in earlier work. In simple terms, the left and right sides were entangled enough to act like perfect embezzlers.
The researchers were able to assist in entangling other systems. Even more impressively, the team showed that this effect wasn't just an unusual property of infinite systems.
When they looked at large but finite fermion chains, systems that could potentially be built in a lab, scientists still found strong evidence of approximate embezzlement. That means this isn't just a theoretical phenomenon. Real materials might already be doing this under the right conditions.
"Finally, we demonstrate that the universal embezzlement property is not exclusive to the thermodynamic limit, but that it already emerges in large but finite fermion systems," Lauritz van Luijk, first author of the study, and a physicist at the Leibniz University Hannover, said.
This discovery rewrites the rules about how entanglement can behave in physical systems. It shows that quantum embezzlement is not a fragile or exotic phenomenon, but a robust property occurring in real systems.
In the future, this could help scientists discover new ways to transfer entanglement in quantum computers, improve methods of simulating quantum materials, or even new states of matter.
However, the work so far is entirely theoretical. "While our work shows that critical spin chains can embezzle entanglement, it does not provide a recipe for how to do so," Luijk said. The research doesn't offer a way to actually perform embezzlement in practice.
The study authors are now working on protocols using Gaussian operations, a type of quantum operation that's easier to implement with current technology. They hope these protocols might help them turn embezzlement from theory into something experimentally achievable.
The study is published in the journal Nature Physics.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
2 hours ago
- Fox News
Neanderthals extracted animal fat in advanced food prep process 125,000 years ago: report
Neanderthals living 125,000 years ago in what is now modern-day Germany may have extracted and eaten fat from animal bones through an organized food preparation process that scientists describe as a 'fat factory.' While excavating the site of a former lake landscape called Neumark-Nord, archaeologists discovered thousands of bones from at least 172 large mammals, along with flint artifacts. The bones, which date back to an interglacial period in which Neanderthals lived, were from animals like red deer and horses, according to a study published on July 2 in Science Advances. While many of the bones that contained less bone marrow were spread out across the archaeological site, researchers observed that many of the marrow-rich bones were located in clusters — sites they call 'fat factories.' Researchers believe our extinct ancestors used tools to smash the bones into small fragments and then boiled them for hours. The grease, which then floated to the surface of the water, could be skimmed off the top and eaten — providing a calorie-dense food source for the archaic people. Prior to this, evidence of the practice had only dated back to 28,000 years ago, according to the research. "Neanderthals were clearly managing resources with precision — planning hunts, transporting carcasses, and rendering fat in a task-specific area," Dr. Lutz Kindler, the study's first author, said. "They understood both the nutritional value of fat and how to access it efficiently — most likely involving caching carcass parts at places in the landscape for later transport to and use at the grease rendering site. Fat was a "life-sustaining" resource for Neanderthals, especially during the winter and spring seasons when carbohydrates were scarce. Their diets consisted largely of animal protein, and consuming lots of protein without other nutrients could lead to a sometimes deadly condition called protein poisoning, the research noted. "The sheer size and extraordinary preservation of the Neumark-Nord site complex gives us a unique chance to study how Neanderthals impacted their environment, both animal and plant life," Dr. Fulco Scherjon, data manager and computer scientist on the project, said. "That's incredibly rare for a site this old—and it opens exciting new possibilities for future research." In recent years, scientists have also discovered that Neanderthals went diving for seashells that they could chip with stone hammers into thin and sharp cutting edges. Similarly, another study suggested Neanderthals may have buried their dead with flowers. Researchers Lutz Kindler and Wil Roebroeks did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
What are the symptoms of the new Stratus COVID variant?
Cases of a new COVID variant have been reported in the UK. The strain has been dubbed 'Stratus' and there are two variants in circulation – XFG and the spin-off XFG.3 According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Stratus variants currently account for just over 30% of COVID cases in England, up from 10% in May. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that XFG is growing rapidly globally and is thought to be slightly more infectious than previous variants. However, experts suggest there is no need to be unduly worried. The UKHSA says Stratus does not appear to pose any greater risk to health than other strains, and COVID cases in general are decreasing compared to recent weeks. "Based on the available information so far, there is no evidence to suggest that the XFG and XFG.3 variants cause more severe disease than previous variants, or that the vaccines in current use will be less effective against them," Dr Alex Allen, consultant epidemiologist at the UKHSA, told Yahoo UK. "It is normal for viruses to mutate and change over time. UKHSA is monitoring all available data relating to SARS-CoV-2 variants in the UK and abroad, and we continue to publish our findings in our regular Flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports." Stratus is a descendant of the Omicron COVID variant. It is a recombinant strain, sometimes called a 'Frankenstein' strain. This means it emerged when a person was infected with two COVID variants at once, creating a new hybrid variant. XFG has been declared a 'variant under monitoring' by the WHO, meaning health authorities across the world have been asked to help track it to determine any public health implications. However, while the variant is said to spread rapidly, the WHO has classed it as 'low risk' on a global level. There isn't enough evidence yet to suggest this strain has any symptoms that might differentiate it from others. However, one doctor said that, while symptoms vary from person to person, the Stratus variant may be associated with hoarseness. 'One of the most noticeable symptoms of the Stratus variant is hoarseness, which includes a scratchy or raspy voice," Dr Kaywaan Khan, Harley Street GP and Founder of Hannah London Clinic, told Cosmopolitan. "Regardless of whether the symptoms mimic a cold or flu, testing continues to be the critical step in eliminating the possibility of a coronavirus infection," he added. According to the NHS, common symptoms of COVID can include: a high temperature or shivering a new, continuous cough a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste shortness of breath Feelings of fatigue or exhaustion aches headache sore throat blocked or runny nose loss of appetite diarrhoea feeling sick or vomiting The UKHSA says that "COVID-19 activity decreased across most indicators" in the week ending 29 June and was at baseline levels. COVID hospital admissions in England dropped to 0.99 per 100,000 compared to 1.46 the week before. And the number of people tested in GP surgeries who returned positive results fell to 7.8% from 8.8%. Hundreds of events mark five years since Covid-19 outbreak (The Guardian, 3-min read) What are the symptoms of the Nimbus COVID variant? (Yahoo Life UK, 3-min read) Public trust in science has been eroded, from Covid-19 to climate (The Guardian, 3-min read)
Health Line
3 hours ago
- Health Line
What We Know About CBD for Macular Degeneration (AMD)
CBD has similar pain-relieving effects to THC but isn't psychoactive. Early research suggests CBD may help AMD, but it is not endorsed by doctors. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of vision loss in the United States, with age and family being primary risk factors. While healthcare professionals do not currently recommend cannabis and CBD as a treatment option for macular degeneration or other eye health issues, ongoing research suggests it may one day be a possible treatment option for some people with this eye condition. Do CBD treatments help with macular degeneration? About macular degeneration treatments There are two kinds of age-related macular degeneration. Dry AMD is more common. Treatment for dry AMD includes taking specific nutritional supplements and using low-vision aids. Wet AMD is not as common, but it's more treatable. Treatments include anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) eye injections and light therapy. Generally, cannabis use is linked to lowered eye pressure and is known to help lower inflammation throughout the body. Some people with AMD have reported anecdotal benefits from CBD use. This 2022 research in the United Kingdom (IK) does indicate that CBD may possibly lower the risk of this eye condition. However, there's not enough medical research overall to support CBD as a treatment for any type of AMD. In the UK study looking at people who'd used marijuana (including CBD) more than 100 times, they did see a lower risk for AMD. But the research also indicated people experienced higher rates of blood vessel loss, possibly leading to AMD development sooner for younger people. Research on this topic has also found that many forms of CBD can't be easily administered as treatments for eye conditions. For instance, CBD oils aren't the right consistency to be made into eye drops. Can you use CBD for other eye conditions? CBD is known to have an effect on eye pressure, which could be a meaningful benefit for acute or chronic eye conditions. For example, glaucoma is an eye condition that can lead to permanent vision loss, but it has a different cause than AMD. It's often caused by a buildup of eye pressure on your optic nerve (it sends visual information from your eyes to your brain). Lowering eye pressure could potentially lower the risk of glaucoma and help treat active cases. But research is conflicting and shows there may also be side effects of using CBD for glaucoma or other eye conditions, including mental health concerns, vision changes such as color blindness, retinal deterioration, and optic nerve damage. No enough research exists to support CBD as a treatment for eye pressure or as a way to lower the risk of either glaucoma or AMD. Results are conflicting. A 2018 study found that CBD (cannabidiol) eye drops increased eye pressure in rats. But the same study found that THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) eye drops reduced eye pressure by up to 30%. Treatment of AMD and glaucoma isn't the only possible eye-health-related use of CBD. Research is also being done into the use of CBD to help treat: diabetic retinopathy eye inflammation corneal inflammation eye pain Additional research is needed to determine if CBD or THC could be used in glaucoma or AMD treatment and prevention. Right now neither is approved for managing these conditions. Traditional AMD treatments Traditional, scientifically backed AMD treatment regimens depend on the type of AMD you have. They may include. Anti-VEGF injections: These injections are the most common treatment for wet AMD. They stop the growth of eye blood vessels and can prevent and possibly reverse vision loss. Light therapy: Known as photodynamic therapy, this treatment type may also be used to target and destroy blood vessels. Nutritional supplements: A combination of nutritional supplements known as the AREDS2 formula has been shown to help prevent further vision loss due to dry AMD. However, these supplements aren't proven to lower the chance of AMD onset overall. Low vision aids: These can help with any vision loss you experience due to either form of AMD or another condition. They are an essential tool in managing dry AMD. An eye doctor can help you determine the best options for you. Options may include wearing glasses, using a magnifying glass, large print materials, and an array of computer programs or mobile apps. How can you prevent macular degeneration? AMD is tied to multiple risk factors, many of which you can't control including age and genetics passed down through families. However, you can practice habits to support good eye health, which benefits your eyes lifelong. These may include: Getting regular eye exams. Don't smoke or quit smoking. Getting regular physical activity. Eating certain foods that may help your eye health, including low cholesterol foods.
