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Physics

Photon trick lets you bend the rules of quantum physics

11 February 2020

Double-slit experiment — The double-slit experiment is a quantum classic
HARALD RITSCH/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

A TRICK of the light has allowed us to bend the rules of quantum mechanics. This may one day prove useful for building quantum computers.

Many of our intuitions about quantum mechanics are based on a foundation of experiments using just one or two particles of light, called photons. One of the most famous is the double-slit experiment, in which a single photon is sent towards a barrier with two slits in it. Classical physics says the photon can only pass through one slit, but quantum physics says otherwise:…

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