Quantum teleportation and the scientific basis of matter transfer

Transporter Technology

Transferring light over a beam and duplicating the information held in the original light beam at the receiving end is a reality today, but it is a far cry from the original concept of the transporter made popular by the TV series 'Star Trek' or the matter transference machine in the movie "The Fly," created by writers George Langelaan and James Clavell, and made famous by Vincent Price.

Teleportation today means sending the properties of light particles, with no delay, over long distances to other light particles. Quantum teleportation is based on the phenomenon which can be found only in the world of the quantum atom, where not matter, but parts of photons are transferred which contain properties, not matter, and these photons become the properties they carry on the receiving end of the transfer. Up till now scientists have had this kind of success with light particles and sometimes with whole atoms, but not yet with larger objects.

Copying an object or information is not an appropriate description of transportation technology and it never was. What scientists have aimed to do and are doing now is transfering the original information to the other end of the distance. In this case the original loses its properties and appears as its original self on the other end. This can only exist in quantum mechanics, where all the properties of a particle are lost and given to another particle.

Matter itself is completely irrelevant. If swap all my carbon atoms for other carbon atoms, I am still Anton Zeilinger," says the scientist, Anton Zeilinger about his work and his goals. He maintains that even though the human body loses and replaces all of its cells almost daily, we remain with the same properties, based on the order of the atoms that make a person who he or she is. The atoms are unimportant in this case, it is the characteristics and the order of the atoms which are important. This is the basis of teleportation, in which the original is actually being transferred (Zeilinger 1).

Background information

When one thinks of a transporter, the teleporter in the Star Trek television program, during the 50s and 60s was the original one, conceived of by a writer of the series. In the original Star Trek series a technology was requested by Gene Roddenberry which would help him eliminate scenes of passengers boarding a space ship, traveling, arriving at destinations and then landing on a foreign planet on which the episodic tale unfolds, by creating a transporter machine which disassembles the actor's atoms in one place and puts them down somewhere else in one deft scene. The words "Beam me up, Scotty" bring back images of lightning-fast transportation from one planet to another which makes travelers on earth long for the same mechanism.

The fictional transporter in the science fiction series had four parts, the Scanner which took a precise picture of each molecule and atom of the body, the Energizer, which removed the molecules and atoms and changed them into a stream of light or matter, a Pattern Buffer which held the stream of particles until it was ready to be sent, and the Emitter Pad Arrays which focused the stream at the destination and reassembled them into their original form.

In actual practice teleportation, as achieved by researchers at California Institute of Technology, University of Wales in England and Aarhus University in Demark, is able to transport photons or light particles. This is made possible through a quantum mechanical rule which overrule the Newtonian physics in the nanosciences. Called "quantum entanglement," itr occurs when two particle twins from a single sub-atomic particle is created. These twins will always be the opposite in quantum properties, no matter how far from each other they are. So when you send one-half of an input beam somewhere else and change its quantum properties through measuring the quantum state and combining the signal with the second half, it recreated the original input state at the receiver end. In Canberra, Australia the researchers described their experiment:

The researchers couldn't directly measure the key characteristics of the laser beam they wanted to replicate, so they turned to a process called entanglement. In entanglement, characteristics of tiny particles -- like the photons that make up laser beams -- can be mirrored in a second set of particles. So researchers can make their measurements on a second laser beam that was entangled with the first. The measurements are then sent by radio waves to the receiving station, which exactly replicates the first beam that was destroyed in the process of entanglement (O'Connor, 1).

This is just the beginning of a kind of transporter which has never been available before. Though it does not transport matter, it can transport data, which is the beginning of a new kind of teleportation.

Problem Statement

When teleportation is experimented with, the researchers can experimentally demonstrate continuous-variable teleportation through quantum physics in a state considered to be a "no-cloning limit." They teleport a coherent state to achieve fidelity of 0.70 $pm$0.02, which surpasses the no-cloning 2/3 limit. Surpassing this limit is necessary for transferring a nonclassical "input quantum state." They also demonstrated "entanglement swapping." That is, they switched parts of one thing for another, as an example of nonclassical transfer (Takei 2005 Abstract).

The problem of future quantum mechanics is to use this information to transport matter. In 2005, the U.S. Air Force devoted $25,000 to researching the possibility of "energizing" humans across long distances. The Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio's propulsion research laboratory commissioned the study to assess the possibility of transporting troops, tanks and supplies across the world through the quantum mechanics process which was then being explored in laboratories around the world.

NBC News and Tom Costello made fun of the prospect and labeled the expense incurred in the "fantasy" prospect as ludicrous. The organization hired to investigate it, Warp Drive Metrics' report showed that "we are still very far away from being able to entangle and teleport human beings and bulk inanimate objects." Col. Mike Heil, who is in charge of the laboratory, said it is still 30 years in the future as a possibility. The Air Force then made the decision not to invest any more money in the study of this means of transportation (Costello, 2005).

Who then should finance the investigation into what appears to be a possible means of transportation of, if not humans, then objects as fast as the speed of light? Research centers at Universities all over the world are still going ahead with research toward solving the problem of how to transport matter at the speed of light.

Assumptions

The assumptions in moving ahead with solving this sort of problem are that, first, the problem has the possibility of being solved; and second, that it is either practically or financially worthwhile solving the problem.

It is true that the possibility exists for transporting matter through directing streams of photons through space with information embedded in them. Whether the process can be used for disentangling and reconstructing matter has yet to be proven, but already information has been transported and this is the beginning of the solution.

The second part of the question of whether the solution is a worthwhile cause is easy to answer. The instantaneous transportation of matter, no matter how small, through beams of light would enhance our present communication and transportation system so much that almost any amount of financing might be warranted.

A secondary question and one related to the development of a transporter, is the ability to send matter, information or even light for long distances at a sufficiently fast rate of speed. The 'Star Wars" movies describe space ships traveling at "Warp Speed," which would be as necessary as the ability to transport matter, in order for the teleporter to send matter over long distances or through space. However, Warp speed has not yet been attained, though in the minds of humans everywhere, it is the "overdrive" of the speed of light and most people have no doubt that superluminal speed will one day be achieved.

Analysis of Alternatives

There are several principles upon which a teleporter or materials transporter would be based, if it is built upon current research theories. The first theory upon which a transporter would be based is the quantum entanglement theory which might be explained by stating subatomic particles are related to each other by quantum entanglement and measuring or changing one affects the other, even over long distances. No one is able to explain how or why this is so, but it is true for some, but not all, particles. Those excepted are the particles in chemical or physical matter. Therefore, the principle of entanglement may not be used for transporting chemical or physical objects, such as living matter.

What is actually transported in the current research is information written by the pattern of photons, which are subatomic particles which may be transmitted through the entanglement process, and the information which is thus transported is not the actual original information, but a copy of it, which is the exact copy of the original. It is so much a copy that one could call it a clone of the original; in other words, it is a second original. If matter were to be thus transported, then we would have two of the original objects, should one be transported.

Alternative theories, based on the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, would be best followed up, if matter is the stuff which one wants to transport. The Heisenberg Principle states that it is impossible to know where any part of a physical object is at any point in time. Therefore, to know where every atom of our body is at any given time is impossible. If your blood is moving through your veins, then the atomic particles which make up your blood are moving rapidly from one part of your body to another and it is impossible to know at any particular moment where one of these atoms may be. Heisenberg also stated that measuring changes a particle (and this is one of the principles used in the quantum entanglement theory), therefore it is impossible to identify atoms which will be transported and have them duplicated at the other end of the receiver.

Detailed Recommendation

It is recommended that the quantum entanglement theory research be continued for the sake of its benefits in the area of communications and computer technology. But as for transportation of matter, it appears that destructive and attempted reconstructive transporting of matter is a dead end, as matter will be changed when subjected to the destructive forces of such means of transportation.

Furthermore, it is possible that other breakthroughs using other theories than quantum entanglement may be made and used for instantaneous transportation of matter. If questioning and research along these lines is continued the possibility of the discovery of another means by which matter may be transported through space may appear. The idea is put forth by the series 'Star Trek' and it excites the imaginations of generations of children. Perhaps one day one of those children will make the effort to think about, to devise and to create the means by which a true matter transporter will be built.

Technology Roadmap

The original idea as created in the movies and on TV of transporters was not taken seriously by scientists, because they were thought it was impossible to do because the rules of quantum mechanics held an uncertainty principle which said the measuring or scanning process could not extract all of the information from an atom or any other object because the more completely the object is scanned, the more the order of the object is disturbed by scanning, until it finally reaches the point where the original state of the object's atoms has been completely disrupted without having extracted enough information to recreate it. This seemed a sound argument which ruled out teleportation. If a replicator could not extract enough information from the object to recreate it, a perfect copy could not be made. But IBM Fellow Charles Bennett and five of his cohorts, Drs. Jozsa, Wootters, Brassard, Crepeau and Peres, found a way to go around the standard logic, using a paradoxical theory used in quantum mechanics: the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Effect (See diagram above from Bennett, 1896).

Essentially, these scientists discovered that they could scan part of the information from object a, while making the rest, the unscanned part of the information, to go through the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Effect, into object C. Object C. had never been in contact with a. Then, when they applied a treatment to Object C. which depended on the scan of a, were able to make C. into the exact same state as a before scanning. a, itself, was no longer in its original state, having been disrupted by the scan. In essence, what was achieved was teleportation, not copying or replication of the original object (About, 1). This is the technology which has been used to create actual teleportation of information, and though teleportation of solid matter objects has not yet been achieved, it may yet be accomplished.

Where Is it Going?

The Transporter technology appears at this time to be headed in the direction of computer technology and towards communications and cryptography. Cryptography depends on mathematics and formulas to encode data so no one else but those who have the formula can read it. Quantum cryptography, however, can devise a code based on quantum entanglement, transmitting data based on the properties of atoms and the way or formulas by it is read is what may be changed. For instance, an atom spinning at 300 rps may be the code for the letter "A," and 301 rps may be "B" but by changing the spin speed to letter correlation the message may be encoded differently, so that 301 rps might mean "H" instead of "B." The number of possible changes is unlimited in this code and spin speed is only one way that the property of the atoms can change. The system is safe from scrutiny, as well, because the process of eavesdropping is quickly and easily detected (Thinkquest 2008).

As far as actual transporting of matter is concerned, it appears that research, unless an unexpected breakthrough appears, is marching on slowly, step-by-step, toward transporting information only. But even this is miraculous in some ways, as the properties of photons are being discovered and utilized in practical ways.

What Will it Disrupt?

The ability to transport physical matter would have a dynamic effect on the world of transportation. No longer would the trucking industry command the highways. No longer would the post office be used and paid to transport packages. No longer would we need to carry objects around with us from place to place. Our teleporter would do the job for us. Groceries would miraculously appear on the kitchen cabinet, our clothes would be found hanging in the closet after they have been dry cleaned. Our money would be sent in cash to our creditors. There are extremely disruptive possibilities inherent in the creation of a teleporter for material stuff.

Teleporters could even be used as weapons, some say, as one might put a bullet or a bomb in one and have it sent to a target, or into the body of an enemy. The possibilities are endless and horrifying. Weapons could be shipped around the world without controls and access to drugs, pornography and other elicit goods would be in the complete control of those who owned a teleporter. On the other hand, books, food and supplies might be sent to the needy without cost and more access to food and water would be had by those in want.

If it were possible to transport humans from one place to another, transportation systems and roadways would be empty and fall into disuse. There would be no more need for traffic signals or road repairs. Everyone could live wherever they wanted without regard to vehicles to travel in, traffic conditions, or how far they were from work. The state of the world would drastically change because of teleportation of humans from one place to another.

What Will it Replace?

Teleportation will replace computer processes as they exist today. A single transference of photons will be all that will be necessary, instead of integrated chips or disc systems in computers. The storage possibilities in this type of hardware is endless, as each atom would contain and be able to relay any information which is available, including that stored in other atoms elsewhere.

When space ships are sent to other planets, says Anton Zeilinger, they will experiment with communicating with teleportation, which, up to now has only been done over a distance of a few miles. But the accuracy and reliability of teleporting information is unequaled by present means of communication, as with teleportation the information is exactly what the original was and with the present means the information received at best is a poor imitation of the original (Zeilinger, p. 1).

Implications:

Be afraid, be very afraid." (From the 1968 movie "The Fly")

The only problem with the ability to teleport is that, though it will possibly be used to transport matter, current techniques could never transport a living being, as life depends upon more than simple matter. In the movie "The Fly," made in 1986, Seth Brundle, an eccentric scientist, builds a transporter in his basement with two "telepods," one for the original person and one to receive the duplicate person. He offers to show the resulting successful invention to an investigative reporter and attempts to prove that living matter can be transported by using himself as the living matter. Unfortunately, a fly enters the transmission "telepod" with him and Brundle's atoms are entangled with those of the fly, creating a monstrous fly-man. The reporter documents this transformation and since a fly has a short life, Seth has very little time to try and correct the problem. The 1986 film is a remake of an earlier 1958 film with essentially the same plot. Only in the earlier plot the scientist was married and his wife kills the monster her husband has become, in the end. The earlier movie is more believable and has more details about the "matter transportation apparatus"

The implications of the movies is that in transporting living matter things could go horribly wrong. Even before 'Star Trek' the possibility of transporter technology was in the imagination and the basic elements of how the mechanisms were to work were there. One of the 'Star Trek' episodes also is about how the transporter technology went terribly wrong and Capt. Kirk is duplicated, with one character being bad and the other all good. The "transporter accident" is a term for a problem when the person does not rematerialize as it should, so one can imagine how problems might arise in that regard. In real life, a transporter would have to be working perfectly in order for a living person or animal to be transported correctly, should the technology be developed, and no mistakes would be allowed.

Conclusion

Technology is still being developed for transporting information and objects, but possibly will never be available for transporting living beings. The teleporting of information is being utilized in space missions today and the ability to teleport matter is still being worked on, so that some day we may be able to transfer objects from one place to another by sending it from one "telepod" to another. But the reality is far from the imagination which created the concept of transporting humans instantaneously in the adventures filmed on 'Star Trek' decades ago, or in the film "The Fly," which was filmed in the 1950's.