New record for quantum solidarity

Spanish scientists have successfully created quantum entanglement in a system of 15 trillion hot and chaotic atoms. This is the number of atoms 100 times larger than the previous record.

Quantum entanglement is a special quantum phenomenon, with no reciprocal in classical physics. Quantum entanglement appears when we have particles appearing in pairs or in groups, sharing the same space in a way that we cannot distinguish them. 

Illustration of gas cloud with quantum entanglement atoms.

We are forced to receive particles as a single quantum state . Even if the particles are far away from each other, they need to be seen as a whole, not as separate components. Interestingly, operations on one particle affect the second, even when the two particles are very far apart in the universe.

The new quantum states can be used to detect particularly weak magnetic signals in the brain, to refine medical diagnostics.

Quantum entanglement is a very fragile state - it is studied in very low temperatures, near absolute zero. However, this time the scientists focused on the rubidium metal (Rd) evaporating at a temperature of 177 degrees Celsius. In this state, the atoms are not isolated but collide with each other. Despite the chaos in the system, scientists have discovered a large number of atoms (nearly 1/3 of the atoms) in quantum solidarity.

This is a big surprise. Quantum entanglement is 'broken' in a very small fraction of a second, but then new quantum entanglement states emerge.

'If we maintain the measurement, then quantum entanglement appears for about 1 millisecond (1 / 1,000 of a second). That means in 1,000 seconds a new quantum entanglement of 15 trillion atoms is in a second. 1 millisecond is a very long time for atoms; long enough for 50 random collisions, '' said Jia Jia, a scientist at the ICFO Photon Science Research Institute in Barcelona.

Atoms can behave like small magnets, while quantum solidarity increases their ability to 'perceive'. The quantum entanglement system, in addition to being used to detect weak magnetic fields generated by the brain, can also be used in sensitive medical diagnostic devices or in neurosurgery.