The many, these strangers – Reuters

It is titled “Quantum 2014″, and is an international conference that takes place these days in Turin (until May 30). Why “Quantum”? It is the Latin term for “How,” a term very common in physics to indicate a discrete amount of a certain size and indivisible. The term is sometimes used as a synonym for “particle”.

At the quantum mechanics and its many applications, often from the basic research, it was then dedicated the biennial conference in Turin, considered among the greatest in Europe, organized by INRIM (National Institute of Metrology) , in collaboration with the University of Bari Five days of in-depth on a subject little known to the general public, but a fundamental part of basic research and applied research. Let’s see why.

How important are the many …

Quantum mechanics is a physical theory that describes the behavior of the radiation, matter, and their interactions, particularly with regard to the phenomena typical of the scales of length or energy atomic and subatomic particles: “The failure of classical mechanics and electromagnetism to explain phenomena related to light and its interaction with matter, were the main reasons that led to the development of quantum mechanics in the first half of ’900 ‘- explains Professor Augusto Garuccio, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bari, at the workshop of Turin – “and the name” quantum mechanics “, given to the theory, stems from the discovery that some physical quantities, such as energy or angular momentum, can vary only in discrete amounts, called precisely “how many.”

A key feature of quantum mechanics is the so-called wave-particle duality: in contrast to the classical mechanics, which describes the electromagnetic radiation (eg light) as a wave and massive objects (eg ‘electron) as a particle in quantum mechanics radiation and matter can be described both as particles and as waves.

“Theory and practice go hand in hand and we avoid scientists to separate these two aspects” – adds Garuccio – “as a fundamental aspect of research in this field is the close link between studies of fundamental physics and emerging technologies that directly derived from it. Few people know that thanks to quantum physics was able to carry tools such as lasers and MRIs, to develop the technology behind electronic equipment, telecommunications and computer networks. Even the copier is based on a purely quantum phenomenon: the photoelectric effect. Much of the technology that we use every day is the result of this theory. ”

A verification of the ‘”ultimate dream of Einstein” with the quantum correlations

The five days of the workshop in Turin (dedicated memory to physical Carlo Novero) are explaining the recent developments in the emerging field of quantum technologies; futuristic applications and fundamental studies concerning the properties of the particular light quantum systems open up new perspectives in various fields. Quantum states of light can be exploited to implement more secure or encrypted communications for studying biological samples with more accuracy; photonic circuits with computing power infinitely superior to those of current computers begin to become reality: “The computer made so far” – says Garuccio – “have not yet fully exploited the opportunities offered by the physics of many. In the future, thanks to these experiments, you will realize computers with computational power unimaginable based on current technology. ”

A “Quantum 2014″ were also presented some new features. Among these, the theories related to the dream of building a theory that unifies all the known forces, including gravity; a key element of theoretical physics over the past 60 years, which has led to several proposals for quantization of gravity, but so far have not had any significant experimental verification.

In particular, the recent work of Einstein were directed, on the one hand, and for this purpose, on the other hand, the study of specific correlations between quantum systems that, in his view, were an indication of ‘ incompleteness of quantum mechanics.

In a study carried out by researchers INRIM (Ivano Ruo Berchera, Ivo Degiovanni, Marco Genovese) and the University of Milan (Stefano Olivares) has now shown that these peculiar correlations of quantum mechanics can lead to a feasible experiment on a simple optical table, which aims to give an answer to the last “Einstein’s dream.”

“This is possible thanks to the light” quantum “” – explains Marco Genovese – “that guarantees a better sensitivity in particular interferometer systems. The ability to operate such systems with these technologies opens the door to a rapid achievement of this outcome. Moreover, this result promotes the study of ultra-sensitive interferometers based on quantum light whose applications to measures of ultra precision are still only vaguely conceivable, but that could be a real revolution in the field. ”

Locate an otherwise invisible object, overcoming the limitations of traditional measurement

And ‘the purpose of the experiment carried out in the laboratories of the INRIM group led by Mark Genovese in collaboration with the University of Milan published in Physical Review Letters.

“Imagine to be able to have an object in a room lit” – said Mark Genovese – “and having to discover its presence through a hole by sending a pulse of light and observing the returning light. If the light in the room is too intense the small amount of light reflected from the object may not be sufficient to identify it. However if we exploit the properties of quantum correlation between two beams of light, one sent to object the other kept as a reference, then it will be possible to identify conditions in otherwise prohibitive. ”

“This is the result obtained in INRIM” – he adds – “based on the generation of twin beams of light, in which the number of photons of each beam fluctuates randomly, but when the number of photons in the two beams fluctuates in unison. ”

Possible applications of the scheme are currently still hypothetical, but ranging from the identification of a poorly reflective object flying in the daytime sky. In addition, this experiment represents one of the first examples of how quantum systems can overcome the limitations of traditional measurement, starting a “quantum metrology.”

A workshop in collaboration between Turin and Bari

The conference in Turin was created in collaboration between INRIM and University of Bari “Aldo Moro”. The University of Bari is in fact among those most involved at the international level in the field of quantum physics, and also has modern laboratories Mechatronics (where mechanics and electronics come together for the development of innovative technologies). “Our group of quantum physics” – says the Vice-Chancellor Augustus Garuccio – “was founded in the seventies by Professor Franco Selleri. From Bari are then initiated studies and national and international collaborations, from Paris to Portugal, to Russia, Japan, in Baltimore, in the United States and Korea. ”

INRIM (National Institute of Metrological Research) is the national center of excellence for the study of metrology, which is the science of measurement. He was born a few years ago by the fusion of powers between the National Institute “Galileo Ferraris” (famous for the equally famous clock signal RAI), and the Institute Colonnetti, both based in Turin. It is a public research body, belonging to the Ministry of Education, and is involved in measurement science and materials, and develops technologies and innovative devices. Many sectors in which it operates: it realizes the primary standards of fundamental and derived units of the International System Unit of measure, and ensures its maintenance; participates in international comparisons, in Italy allows traceability of each measure to the International System of Measurement and represents Italy in international metrological organizations.

Antonio The Field