Abstract Two or more particles which have interacted in the past, may in general maintain nontrivial quantum mechanical correlations, described by non-factorized wave functions. These correlations, under optimal conditions, can manifest themselves no matter how far they travel away from each other and even when the separate parts cannot dynamically influence each other, leading to apparently paradoxical situations. These correlations are known as quantum entanglement. However counter-intuitive and surprising it may sometimes look, it is rather one of the more beautiful and experimentally well established predictions of quantum mechanics.
Abstract Two or more particles which have interacted in the past, may in general maintain nontrivial quantum mechanical correlations, described by non-factorized wave functions. These correlations, under optimal conditions, can manifest themselves no matter how far they travel away from each other and even when the separate parts cannot dynamically influence each other, leading to apparently paradoxical situations. These correlations are known as quantum entanglement. However counter-intuitive and surprising it may sometimes look, it is rather one of the more beautiful and experimentally well established predictions of quantum mechanics.
In classical mechanics, two (or more) systems that do not interact – that do not exert any kind of force on each other – are completely separated (see Sec. 1.1), i.e. experiments performed locally on one of them cannot in any way influence experiments performed locally on the other. Quantum mechanics, on the other hand, admits that there can be a form of interdependence even in absence of physical interaction. This type of correlation goes under the name of entanglement (see Def. 5.1: p. 183). We already know that entanglement means non-factorizability of the state vector describing a system with at least two different degrees of freedom. In this chapter, we shall see that this may be the case also for systems that are very far away (space-like distant) from each other and we shall learn many interesting consequences of this state of affairs. Recent developments show that one may entangle even particles that have never interacted with each other. The starting point of the following analysis is necessarily represented by the pioneering paper of Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen, who inaugurated an incredible series of theoretical and experimental investigations right up to the present day that have confirmed the predictions of quantum mechanics. The “irony” of this history is that Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen, EPR for short, aimed to present a definitive proof of the inconsistency of quantum mechanics relative to classical physical theory. In fact, they initiated one of the most prolific fields of modern science.
Entanglement can be understood as an extraordinary degree of correlation between states of quantum systems – a correlation that cannot be given an explanation in terms of something like a common cause. Entanglement can occur between two or more quantum systems, and the most interesting case is when these correlations occur between systems that are space-like separated, meaning that changes made to one system are immediately correlated with changes in a distant system even though there is no time for a signal to travel between them. In this case one says that quantum entanglement leads to non-local correlations, or non-locality. More precisely, entanglement can be defined in the following way. Consider two particles, A and B, whose (pure) states can be represented by the state vectors ψA and ψB. Instead of representing the state of each particle individually, one can represent the composite two-particle system by another wavefunction, Ψ AB. If the two particles are unentangled , then the composite state is just the tensor product of the states of the components: Ψ AB = ψ A ⊗ ψ B; the state is then said to be factorable (or separable). If the particles are entangled, however, then the state of the composite system cannot be written as such a product of a definite state for A and a definite state for B. This is how an entangled state is defined for pure states: a state is entangled if and only if it cannot be factored: Ψ AB ≠ ψ A ⊗ ψ B.
How it all began In 1935, a decade after the invention of quantum theory by Heisenberg (1925) and Schrödinger (1926), three papers appeared, setting the stage for a new concept, quantum entanglement. The previous decade had already seen momentous discussions on the meaning of the new theory, for example by Niels Bohr (see his contribution to Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist in Further reading); but these new papers opened up the gates for a new, very deep philosophical debate about the nature of reality, about the role of knowledge, and about their relation. Since the 1970s, it has become possible for experimenters to observe entanglement directly in the laboratory and thus test the counter-intuitive predictions of quantum mechanics whose confirmation today is beyond reasonable doubt. Since the 1990s, the conceptual and experimental developments have led to new concepts in information technology, including such topics as quantum cryptography, quantum teleportation, and quantum computation, in which entanglement plays a key role. In the first of the three papers, Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen (EPR) realized that, if two particles had interacted in their past, their properties will remain connected in the future in a novel way, namely, observation on one determines the quantum state of the other, no matter how far away. Their conclusion was that quantum mechanics is incomplete and they expressed their belief that a more complete theory may be found. Niels Bohr replied that the two systems may never be considered independent of each other, and observation on one changes the possible predictions on the other. Finally, Erwin Schrödinger, in the paper which also proposed his famous cat paradox, coined the term “entanglement” (in German Verschränkung ) for the new situation and he called it “not one, but the essential trait of the new theory, the one which forces a complete departure from all classical concepts.”
Introduction We will now turn to quantum entanglements and their contemporary, possibly practical, interest. Entanglements, first discussed in the E.P.R. paradox (Einstein, Podolsky, Rosen, 1935) are a perplexing nonlocal feature of quantum mechanics. This was immediately and succinctly discussed by Schrödinger (1935). The long history of this apparent paradox is outlined in the wonderful book of Jammer (1974). We will not focus on the central issue of “hidden variables” and their resolution by the Bell inequalities (Bell, 1964) and the test, nor the failure, of these in experiment (see Fry, 1998). The distinctive quantum nature of entanglements has led to two quantum effects which we will discuss: quantum information teleportation (Zeilenger, 1998) and quantum computation by means of entangled states. A nice, recent, elementary introduction to the latter is in the Los Alamos reports of James and Kwiat (2002). The quantum correlations or entanglements are sensitive to environmental destruction. This was pointed out early by Zurek, who termed this “decoherence.” The loss of coherence may occur on a short time scale. Recent discussions have been given by Zurek (2002, 2003). We have already given a theoretical example early in Chapter 2. It is pertinent to discuss this here, since it is a property of opensystem quantum master equations that is a central part of our study in this book. In a sense, the decoherence of correlations has turned out to be a “practical” application of these theoretical notions. Are there remedies for unwanted decoherence? Quantum error correction is a possibility. This will be mentioned also. Entanglements: foundations Following the reading of the E.P.R. paper, Schrödinger (1935b) quickly repeated the argument from quantum theory, but more generally. He introduced the term “entanglement” to describe what he seemed to agree was a curious, if not unacceptable, property. Let us follow his point of view. Given a state ψ ( x, y ) of a composite system of particles x and y formed in their mutual interaction. ψ ( x , y ) is not a product state.
A Mechanical Explanation of Quantum Entanglement via Interactive Resonance Theory (Resonant Coupling Model) Author: Wissam Al-Dami Abstract: Quantum entanglement remains one of the most intriguing and counter-intuitive phenomena in modern physics. While standard quantum mechanics provides robust statistical predictions, it often lacks a direct, deterministic mechanical explanation for the underlying mechanisms governing instantaneous correlations across distances. This paper introduces a novel physical framework grounded in Interactive Resonance Theory. Moving away from the premise of "ghostly" information traveling faster than light, the proposed model reinterprets particles not as isolated entities, but as dynamic, stable vibrational patterns arising from continuous frequency matches between a foundational Global String and an Active Interactive Medium. Building upon John Wheeler's One-Electron Universe hypothesis, entanglement is modeled as the resonant manifestations of a single, unified entity vibrating simultaneously at distinct local points. A key contribution of this work is the rigorous formulation of a foundational mathematical equation that mathematically bridges spatial correlation functions directly with dynamic system responses—incorporating system acceleration, intrinsic natural frequencies, and precise damping constraints. By treating damping parameters as dynamic bandwidth filters, the framework establishes exact threshold criteria required to sustain stable quantum correlations without energy dissipation. The proposed model undergoes dimensional analysis and numerical validations to verify structural consistency and physical causality. To explore the complete foundational mathematical derivations, dimensional checks, and numerical verification scenarios, download the full paper.
Quantum Entanglement-one of the weirdest and most exciting aspects of quantum mechanics. Two or more particles become entangled in a way that if the state of one of the particles is measured, then instantaneously the state of another particle is determined even if they are far apart from one another. The content of this paper explores the details of quantum entanglement: where it came from, what the basic principles are, what experiments support this notion, and what experiments we use to study entanglement. The trends of the data are laid out and what it signifies. From here, I then move to what effects quantum entanglement will have on quantum computing, cryptography and communication. I will attempt to justify my arguments through thirteen published academic sources prior to 2019.