After all, if someone made a copy of you, would it actually be you? All particles of a given type are the same. Every electron is perfectly identical to every other electron, and the same is true for quarks. But how much would a copy of you still be you?
Well, it depends on two things. The first is the resolution of the technology that scans and prints you. Can it read and print your cells? Your molecules? Your atoms, or even your individual particles? What level of detail does it take for the copy to still be considered you?
It turns out that this is an open question, and the answer might depend on how quantum your sense of self is. How much information would have to be recorded in order to create a faithful copy of you? Is knowing the location and type of every cell and connection in your body enough? Or do you also need to know the position and orientation of every molecule in your body? Or if you drill down deeper, do you also need to record the quantum state of every particle? Every particle in your body has a quantum state.
But is that quantum uncertainty an important part of what makes you you? At first glance, it seems unlikely that the quantum information in each of your particles would make a difference in making you who you are. For example, your memories and your reflexes are stored in your neurons and their connections, which are pretty big compared to particles. At that scale, quantum fluctuations and uncertainty tend to average out. If you were to subtly scramble the quantum values of a few of the particles in your body, would you be able to tell the difference?
Debating the answer to this question might be more appropriate for a philosophy book, not a physics book, but here we can at least consider the possibilities. This means that you just have to record the location of all your small bits and pieces and then put them together in the exact same way elsewhere. This is like taking a LEGO house apart, writing out the instructions, and then sending those instructions to another person to build.
Modern technology seems to be well on its way to someday achieving this. Would it be like sending a JPEG version of an image instead of the full picture? Teleportation is possible, it just depends on scale by Victoria Corless Jun 30, Using the principles of quantum mechanics, scientists are unlocking incredible computing powers one experiment at a time. Image credit: Umberto Unsplash Imagine being able to disappear from one place and then reappear in the exact same condition at another location.
The bizarre properties of subatomic particles In , a group of six international scientists discussed the idea that teleportation is possible on the subatomic level , and demonstrated the transportation of systems such as single photons, coherent light fields, nuclear spins, and trapped ions.
The role of quantum entanglement Scientists are only beginning to understand the mysteries of entanglement and how it makes quantum teleportation possible. Related posts:. Researchers chill antimatter for the first time. Highly uniform perovskite artificial synapses for reservoir computing. Jan 26, , am EST. Oct 29, , pm EDT. Oct 27, , pm EDT. Oct 13, , pm EDT.
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