In quantum physics, entanglement links particles across space in ways that defy logic. However, there’s a lesser-known phenomenon that’s even more intriguing than entanglement, and it’s called quantum embezzlement.
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.
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