all quantum physics stories

Philosopher serious about science

50443248 — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 16:20:03 -0400

Whether teasing out inconsistencies in quantum theory or figuring out what it means for one event to cause another, Ned Hall is asking questions about the forces that rule the world around him and seeking consistency in the answers he knows are out there.

Hall, a newly appointed professor of philosophy, came to Harvard from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in July. With a focus on the philosophy of science, Hall said he was attracted to Harvard in part because of the opportunity to work across discipline boundaries with scientists.

"Philosophical work in quantum mechanics has become so technical that to do cutting-edge work is [similar] to do[ing] research in physics," Hall said.

Lukin illuminates quantum science

50443248 — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:07:54 -0400

Mikhail Lukin thinks that devices based on quantum science are at the same stage as radios were about 100 years ago. To catch up, the recently tenured professor of physics is stopping and storing light, making artificial atoms behave in new ways, and doing engineering with superconductivity. When quantum does overtake kilowatts, you can expect novel products like quantum transmitters and quantum computers that will change the world the way that radios and electronic computers have.

Have light, will not travel

70652986 — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 05:33:33 -0400

Harvard researchers fired a short signal pulse of red laser light into a sealed glass cylinder containing a hot gas of rubidium atoms illuminated by a strong control beam. While the pulse was traveling through the rubidium gas, they switched off the control beam, resulting in the storage of a holographic imprint of the signal pulse on the rubidium atoms. Instead of using a single control beam to re-create and release the signal pulse, as was done in earlier experiments, the Harvard team used two counterpropagating control beams. Besides re-creating the signal pulse, the two control beams generate a standing-wave pattern of dark and bright regions. This light pattern makes the atoms behave like a stack of tiny mirrors. As the re-created signal pulse tries to propagate through this medium, the photons bounce back and forth in such a way that the overall pulse remains frozen in space. The pulse can be released again by switching off one of the control beams. The present work may yield new approaches to enhance interaction between faint light pulses, which could help process information carried by light pulses. An example of this would be quantum information processing - a powerful theoretical approach that uses single photons' or atoms' quantum states to store information.