How to put quantum particles on magic bullet trajectories that can hit two targets without a clear line-of-sight

Abstract Quantum particles move in strange ways, even when they propagate freely in space. As a result of the uncertainty principle, it is not possible to control the initial conditions of particle emission in such a way that the particle will definitely pass through two precisely defined positions...

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Autor principal:	Holger F. Hofmann
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2021
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/25cc8212a6524d4890f885461357bd50
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:25cc8212a6524d4890f885461357bd502021-12-02T15:51:15ZHow to put quantum particles on magic bullet trajectories that can hit two targets without a clear line-of-sight10.1038/s41598-021-87025-02045-2322https://doaj.org/article/25cc8212a6524d4890f885461357bd502021-04-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-87025-0https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Quantum particles move in strange ways, even when they propagate freely in space. As a result of the uncertainty principle, it is not possible to control the initial conditions of particle emission in such a way that the particle will definitely pass through two precisely defined positions along its path, even if it is possible to line up the two positions with the emitter. However, there is also an upside to the quantum mechanical laws of motion: constructive quantum interferences can actually raise probabilities to values higher than those permitted by classical causality. Here, it is shown that conventional interferometric methods can be used to prepare photons in a quantum state in which a non-vanishing fraction of particles will hit both of two possible targets, even though the direct line-of-sight connecting the two targets is blocked at the source. The demonstration of the effect is complicated by the uncertainty principle because the physical detection of a particle at one target disturbs the motion of the particle, making it impossible to determine whether the initial state of motion would have allowed the particle to hit the other target or not. It is nonetheless possible to determine the minimal fraction of “magic bullet” particles that must have hit both targets by showing that the number of particles hitting target A is larger than the number of particles missing target B. Quantum interference effects can thus be used to optimize the path of particles in free space beyond the classical limit of motion along a straight line.Holger F. HofmannNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-7 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Holger F. Hofmann How to put quantum particles on magic bullet trajectories that can hit two targets without a clear line-of-sight
description	Abstract Quantum particles move in strange ways, even when they propagate freely in space. As a result of the uncertainty principle, it is not possible to control the initial conditions of particle emission in such a way that the particle will definitely pass through two precisely defined positions along its path, even if it is possible to line up the two positions with the emitter. However, there is also an upside to the quantum mechanical laws of motion: constructive quantum interferences can actually raise probabilities to values higher than those permitted by classical causality. Here, it is shown that conventional interferometric methods can be used to prepare photons in a quantum state in which a non-vanishing fraction of particles will hit both of two possible targets, even though the direct line-of-sight connecting the two targets is blocked at the source. The demonstration of the effect is complicated by the uncertainty principle because the physical detection of a particle at one target disturbs the motion of the particle, making it impossible to determine whether the initial state of motion would have allowed the particle to hit the other target or not. It is nonetheless possible to determine the minimal fraction of “magic bullet” particles that must have hit both targets by showing that the number of particles hitting target A is larger than the number of particles missing target B. Quantum interference effects can thus be used to optimize the path of particles in free space beyond the classical limit of motion along a straight line.
format	article
author	Holger F. Hofmann
author_facet	Holger F. Hofmann
author_sort	Holger F. Hofmann
title	How to put quantum particles on magic bullet trajectories that can hit two targets without a clear line-of-sight
title_short	How to put quantum particles on magic bullet trajectories that can hit two targets without a clear line-of-sight
title_full	How to put quantum particles on magic bullet trajectories that can hit two targets without a clear line-of-sight
title_fullStr	How to put quantum particles on magic bullet trajectories that can hit two targets without a clear line-of-sight
title_full_unstemmed	How to put quantum particles on magic bullet trajectories that can hit two targets without a clear line-of-sight
title_sort	how to put quantum particles on magic bullet trajectories that can hit two targets without a clear line-of-sight
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/25cc8212a6524d4890f885461357bd50
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How to put quantum particles on magic bullet trajectories that can hit two targets without a clear line-of-sight

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