A year after dismissing the possibility, two theoretical physicists from Japan and the Netherlands have made a surprising discovery: quantum entanglement shares a fundamental property with the physics behind everyday processes like steam engines and drying clothes. This newfound universal property could revolutionize how physicists measure and compare entanglement, offering insights into its limits and manipulability beyond mere qubit counts.
Quantum entanglement, where the quantum states of separate objects are intertwined, is crucial in quantum computing alongside superposition. Yet, while scientists have focused on creating and preserving entangled states, less attention has been paid to whether these states can be transformed and if the entanglement process is reversible.
In thermodynamics, reversibility refers to ideal processes that can be undone without altering the system or the Universe. If entangled states can be reversed, it suggests deeper parallels between entanglement and thermodynamics.
Bartosz Regula from the RIKEN Center for Quantum Computing in Japan and Ludovico Lami from the University of Amsterdam collaborated on a study to explore this idea. Their work suggests that reversibility in entanglement theory might be achievable, shedding light on both the theoretical foundations of quantum mechanics and the practical limitations of entanglement manipulation.
While reversible processes are forbidden in reality by the second law of thermodynamics, the discovery of a potential parallel in entanglement could challenge our understanding of quantum transformations.
However, the practical implications of their findings remain unclear, as demonstrating reversible transformations of entangled particles poses significant mathematical challenges. Moreover, their approach focuses on probabilistic entanglement transformations, which only succeed some of the time, raising questions about the feasibility of repeatable, reversible transformations in practice.
Despite these challenges, Regula and Lami’s work represents a significant step towards understanding the complex nature of entanglement and its potential applications in quantum computing and beyond.
