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<\/p>\nPhysicists from the ATLAS Collaboration at CERN\u2019s Large Hadron Collider have confirmed that quantum entanglement \u2014 the phenomenon Albert Einstein called \u2018spooky action at a distance\u2019 \u2014 can survive in some of the most extreme conditions ever produced in a laboratory.<\/p>\n
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In 2012, physicists from the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN announced the discovery of a new boson looking very much like the Higgs boson. Image credit: Daniel Dominguez \/ CERN.<\/p>\n
\u201cQuantum entanglement is one of the fundamental features of quantum mechanics, lying at the heart of quantum information science and quantum field theory,\u201d said University of Oxford\u2019s Professor Alan Barr and his colleagues.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, it underpins emerging technologies such as quantum computers, ultra-secure quantum communication networks and next-generation sensors.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor instance, in quantum computing, entanglement is used to manipulate multiple qubits in a single operation, rather than individually. This allows multiple calculations to be performed simultaneously.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, it was unknown whether quantum entanglement remains intact under more extreme conditions \u2014 such as the short-lived particles produced during highly energetic collisions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Using the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the physicists found strong evidence of entanglement between pairs of Z bosons, heavy, short-lived particles generated when a Higgs boson decays.<\/p>\n
The Z bosons themselves vanish almost instantly, but the researchers were able to infer their spins by tracking the electrons and muons they leave behind, reconstructing the angles at which those particles flew apart after collisions occurring at 13 trillion electron volts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Z bosons studied were produced in the decay of a Higgs boson \u2014 the particle discovered at the LHC in 2012 \u2014 which briefly splits into two Z bosons before each one decays further into pairs of electrons or muons,\u201d the scientists said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Higgs bosons are generated by smashing together protons travelling at 99.99% the speed of light: collisions that have energies of thirteen trillion electron volts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough the Z bosons vanish almost instantly, the ATLAS detector can precisely track the electrons and muons they leave behind.\u201d<\/p>\n
The new finding ranks among the highest-energy confirmations of entanglement ever recorded, extending a phenomenon long associated with delicate, small-scale lab experiments into the realm of violent, high-energy particle collisions.<\/p>\n
\u201cEntanglement is both the most promising and the most puzzling aspect of quantum reality,\u201d said University of Oxford\u2019s Professor Chris Timpson.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese collider experiments detecting entanglement present a new frontier in investigations of the foundations of quantum mechanics.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis measurement demonstrates the scientific power of the ATLAS Collaboration and the unique capabilities of the LHC,\u201d added University of Oxford\u2019s Professor Daniela Bortoletto.<\/p>\n