(Source: geniusofthehole, via insertcleverusernamehere)

occupyallstreets:

An Unhackable Baby Quantum Internet Was Born Yesterday

Years from now it may be said that the quantum Internet was born today. When the baby system matures, it will be able to process unfathomable amounts of data and never be hacked.

The system only has two nodes, but the Internet’s birth started in a similar way back in the late 1960s. The developers — physicists led by Stephan Ritter and Gerhard Rempe of the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics in Germany — published their work in this week’s issue of the journal “Nature.”

The quantum network was built using two atoms of rubidium that exchange photons, or particles of light. Each atom is placed inside a cavity with highly reflecting mirrors on each side, and at a very short distance from each other. The two so-called optical cavities are connected by an optical fiber.

Scientists aim a laser at the first atom, causing the atom to emit a single photon. That photon zooms along the optical fiber to other optical cavity containing the other atom. That’s where the mirrors come in — ordinarily it’s difficult to get an atom and a photon to interact reliably. But by bouncing the photon off the mirrors in the cavity thousands of times, it’s more likley to hit the atom and be absorbed by it. That absorbtion is what transmits the information about the first atom’s quantum state to the second atom.

Besides sending information, the two atoms were entangled, meaning that the atoms were linked. If the first node is in quantum state A, for example, the second node will also be in quantum state A. In this experiment, the atoms were entangled for 100 microseconds — a long time in quantum physics.

This entanglement is what makes hacking into a quantum computer and eavesdropping on impossible. As as soon as a hacker tapped into a quantum network, the states of the atoms wouldn’t match up — a big red flag that something was awary.

It’s a long way yet to a truly large-scale quantum network, but this is a first step.

Source

(via allthesmallquarks)

quantumaniac:

The Quantum Internet is Born

“Years from now it may be said that the quantum Internet was born today.” Of course, the quantum internet is just in the baby stages now - but when it matures, it will be able to process ridiculous amounts of data at blaring speed, and never be hacked. The system, developed by physicists Stephan Ritter and Gerhard Rempe at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics in Germany, has two nodes. Although this is small, the internet you’re on right now started in the 1960s in a similar process. 

This first quantum network was built by utilizing two atoms of rubidium which exchange photons. Each atom is placed inside an individual ‘room’ with highly reflective mirrors surrounding it, and at a short distance from its sister atom. These rooms, called optical cavities, are connected by an optical fiber. 

First, scientists aim a laser at the first rubidium atom, which induces an emission of a single photon. That photon travels  along the optical fiber to the other optical cavity, containing the other atom. Thanks to the mirrors, the photon bounces off the mirrors thousands of times, and is absorbed by the atom upon collision. This absorption transmits information about the first atom’s quantum state - and voila, a transfer of information. 

The two rubidium atoms were entangled beforehand, which effectively means that they were linked together. During entanglement (read more about entanglement here), certain properties of the atoms are linked, and measuring one instantaneously produces the same result in the other atom. During this experiment, the atoms were entangled for 100 microseconds - a long time in quantum physicists. Entanglement what renders any form of hacking impossible - as soon as a would-be hacker tapped into the quantum network, the quantum states of the atoms would no longer match up. 

This is the first step towards something great. 

Read the press release. 

(Source: creeveyalo, via risforkickin)

ameshofinformation:

The Physical Airplane

   When you first approach the airplane, especially walking toward the nose of the aircraft, which is the front of the airplane. You will notice that an airplane is pretty much symmetrical other than a few minor details such as antennas. This symmetry comes in handy when checking the plane for any possible problems before flight.

Read More

(Source: insomniaticthoughts)

This is the most adorable thing ever. I miss my puppy…

(Source: taylorgrays, via beautiful-rendezvous)

stufftolookatwhileyourehigh:

space

contemplatingstardust:

(via physicsphysics)

one3productions:

Reinvented Game - Rock, Paper, Scissors, Spock, Lizard
Venkman, geektyrant.com

Here’s a dia­gram for a rein­ven­tion of the clas­sic game Rock, Paper, Scis­sors. Spock and Lizard have now been added to the mix of hand weapons that you can chose from to do bat­tle with. This is how I’ll be play the game from now on as it…

Rock, Paper, Scissors, Spock, Lizard http://flpbd.it/sPKLG

Music Game

Pick 5 artists that you love before reading the questions

1. Tegan and Sara

2. Mindless Self Indulgence

3. No Doubt

4. Avenged Sevenfold

5. Lady Gaga

• What was the first song you ever heard by 1?

Proud

• What is your favorite song of 4?

Welcome to the Family, Fiction, Almost Easy

• What kind of impact has 2 left on your life?

Shaped my entire adolescence and my personality.

• How many times have you seen 4 live?

None, but I was going to but then my friend bailed on me.

• What is your favorite song by 2?

Currently my 3 favorites (cause who can really just pick one) are Evening Wear, Issues, and Prescription

• Is there any song by 3 that makes you sad?

Home Now

• What is your favorite song by 1?

More for Me

• How did you get into 3?

My best friend since kindergarten

• What is your favorite song by 5?

Americano

• How many times have you seen 2 live?

Just one so far, recently too, and it was INCREDIBLE

• What is a good memory concerning 5?

Bonding with friends while studying for finals right after the album came out last year

• Is there a song by 4 that makes you sad?

Fiction

• What is your favorite song by 3?

Beauty Contest, Different People, Tragic Kingdom…

the-star-stuff:

The X-48B Blended Wing Body

The airplane is the X-48B, an advanced concept, fuel-efficient blended wing body or BWB. It’s called a blended wing body because it looks more like a modified triangular-shaped wing than the traditional aircraft, which is a tube and wing with a tail.

(via acidqueenwho-deactivated2012042)

freshphotons:

Would love to demonstrate phonons for a condensed matter physics class with this…

(Source: alecshao)

quantumaniac:

The 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics

Electrodynamics, in essence, is the study of electric charges interact and create electric and magnetic fields. During the mid-twentieth century, this was well understood on the macroscopic level - but on the quantum scale it remained a tricky mystery. Quantum mechanics deals with incredibly small objects, such as protons, neutrons, electrons, and other elementary particles. Quantum electrodynamics (QED) is the theory of how electrodynamics applies to these elementary particles, and explains how electromagnetic forces between particles work. The exchange of minute electromagnetic radiation mediates the forces between these particles. 

Three independent men published papers making huge contributions to QED: Richard Feynman, Sin-Itiro Tomonaga and Julian Schwinger. According to the official release, the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded for: 

“…fundamental work in quantum electrodynamics, with deep-ploughing consequences for the physics of elementary particles”.

(via qu4ntumth3ory)