Speed of quantum entanglement is measured, but it's too fast for humans to understand
- sciart0
- Mar 23
- 1 min read
Thanks Alex!
Excerpt: "In the past, events that took place in a flash were considered instantaneous. Yet modern experiments show that even when particles seem to shift in the blink of an eye, as with quantum entanglement, there are measurable intervals involved.
These findings spark questions about how electrons leave atoms or how entangled pairs form, opening avenues for precise control in various applications.
Measuring in attoseconds
Scientists once assumed that an electron remained in orbit around its nucleus and was then abruptly pulled away by a burst of light. A similar assumption held for particles that collided and became entangled without any noticeable time span.
Today, attosecond-scale measurements allow researchers to scrutinize these events with remarkable detail. By tracking processes once believed to be immediate, scientists can better understand interactions that may influence quantum communication and next-generation computing.
Understanding attoseconds – the basics
An attosecond is an insanely tiny slice of time – just one-quintillionth of a second (that’s a 1 followed by 18 zeros).
To put it in perspective, light can only travel about the width of a human hair in that time."