January 11, 2010...Whoa! Carbon nanotubes help electron pairs survive a breakup

LINKY:
[link to physics.aps.org]

"Can measurement of one quantum system instantaneously affect the measurement outcome of another, even if the systems are spatially separated? This question has never been clearly answered for solid-state materials.


Now, a new experiment by L. G. Herrmann in France, working with colleagues in France, Spain, and Germany, published in Physical Review Letters demonstrates that electrons entangled in a superconducting Cooper pair can be spatially separated into different arms of a carbon nanotube, a material thought favorable for the efficient injection and transport of split, entangled pairs. This work may help pave the way for tests of nonlocal effects in solid-state systems, as well as applications such as quantum teleportation and ultrasecure communication.

The question of nonlocal quantum mechanics plagued physicists for decades, as it seemed to violate the rule of special relativity that information cannot travel faster than the speed of light.

The observation of enhanced nonlocal transport in carbon nanotubes, a material uniquely favorable for the injection and transport of split, entangled charges, offers an exciting new possibility for the study and use of nonlocality."

##########################