Scientists just managed to snap an image of two photons linked by quantum entanglement, marking the first time that the bizarre phenomenon has been captured with a camera. The image shows two photons that have been linked through quantum entanglement, which means that they instantly respond to changes that occur in each other, even if they’re separated by a vast physical distance, according to research published in the journal Science Advances.
What you're looking at here is actually a composite of multiple images of the photons as they go through a series of four-phase transitions.
This first-ever photographic evidence of entanglement could help scientists better understand new technology, reports New Atlas, like quantum computers or cryptography.
Rapid-Fire
Taking the image was no easy task, according to the
research. The University of Glasgow physicists rigged a camera to capture
40,000 frames per second of an experimental setup that they maintained at -30
degrees Celsius in pitch black. They then had to comb through thousands of
frames to find signs
of entanglement.
“The image we’ve managed to capture is an elegant demonstration of a fundamental property of nature, seen for the very first time in the form of an image,” Glasgow physicist Paul-Antoine Moreau, told New Atlas. “It’s an exciting result which could be used to advance the emerging field of quantum computing and lead to new types of imaging.”