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Twisted light can carry arbitrarily large amounts of information – a find friendly to theism?

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info, information, tips, icon, support Philip Cunningham draws our attention to “New records set up with “Screws of Light””:

In principle, twisted light can carry an arbitrary large amount of information per photon. This is in contrast to the polarization of light, which is limited to one bit per photon. For example, data rates of up to 100 terabits per second, which correspond to about 120 Blu-Ray discs per second, have already been achieved under laboratory conditions. The transmission under realistic conditions, however, is still in its infancy. In addition to transmission over short distances in special fiber optics, transmission of such light beams over free space, required for instance for satellite communication, was limited to three kilometers so far; achieved by the same Viennese team two years ago

In the current study, the research team around Anton Zeilinger and Mario Krenn show that information encoded in twisted light can still be reconstructed even after more than 100 kilometers. The experiment has been conducted between the canary islands of La Palma and Tenerife, which is 143 kilometer away. More.

Paper. (paywall) Cunningham notes that the implications of all this are very friendly to theistic presuppositions.

Communication with spatially modulated light through turbulent air across Vienna:

He offers related notes:

Single photons to soak up data (2002) Excerpt: the orbital angular momentum of a photon can take on an infinite number of values. Since a photon can also exist in a superposition of these states, it could – in principle – be encoded with an infinite amount of information.

Illustration: page 18 and 19: image of how to encode an arbitrary large amount of information onto a photon by taking advantage of its spin and orbital angular momentum

Explanation:

By its conventional definition, a photon is one unit of excitation of a mode of the electromagnetic field. The modes of the electromagnetic field constitute a countably infinite set of basis functions, and in this sense the amount of information that can be impressed onto an individual photon is unlimited. – Robert W. Boyd – The Enabling Technology for Quantum Information Science 2013 – University of Rochester, Rochester, NY – lead researcher of the experiment which encoded information in a photon in 2010

“Ultra-Dense Optical Storage – on One Photon” (January 19, 2007)
Excerpt: Researchers at the University of Rochester have made an optics breakthrough that allows them to encode an entire image’s worth of data into a photon, slow the image down for storage, and then retrieve the image intact… As a wave, it passed through all parts of the stencil at once…

Question: Why do we need infinite-dimensional Hilbert spaces in physics? You need an infinite dimensional Hilbert space to represent a wavefunction of any continuous observable (like position for example).

Explaining Information Transfer in Quantum Teleportation: Excerpt: In contrast to a classical bit, the description of a (quantum) qubit requires an infinite amount of information. The amount of information is infinite because two real numbers are required in the expansion of the state vector of a two state quantum system (Jozsa 1997, 1) – Armond Duwell, University of Pittsburgh

Quantum Computing – Stanford Encyclopedia: Excerpt: “Theoretically, a single qubit can store an infinite amount of information, yet when measured it yields only the classical result…”

Direct measurement of the quantum wavefunction (June 2011)

Excerpt: The wavefunction is the complex distribution used to completely describe a quantum system, and is central to quantum theory. But despite its fundamental role, it is typically introduced as an abstract element of the theory with no explicit definition.,,, Here we show that the wavefunction can be measured directly by the sequential measurement of two complementary variables of the system. The crux of our method is that the first measurement is performed in a gentle way through weak measurement so as not to invalidate the second. The result is that the real and imaginary components of the wavefunction appear directly on our measurement apparatus. We give an experimental example by directly measuring the transverse spatial wavefunction of a single photon, a task not previously realized by any method.

Wave function gets real in quantum experiment (February 2, 2015)

Excerpt:It underpins the whole theory of quantum mechanics, but does it exist? For nearly a century physicists have argued about whether the wave function is a real part of the world or just a mathematical tool. Now, the first experiment in years to draw a line in the quantum sand suggests we should take it seriously.

Now, Eric Cavalcanti at the University of Sydney and Alessandro Fedrizzi at the University of Queensland, both in Australia, and their colleagues have made a measurement of the reality of the quantum wave function. Their results rule out a large class of interpretations of quantum mechanics and suggest that if there is any objective description of the world, the famous wave function is part of it: Schrödinger’s cat actually is both dead and alive.

Wave function gets real in quantum experiment (February 2, 2015)

Excerpt:It underpins the whole theory of quantum mechanics, but does it exist? For nearly a century physicists have argued about whether the wave function is a real part of the world or just a mathematical tool. Now, the first experiment in years to draw a line in the quantum sand suggests we should take it seriously.

Now, Eric Cavalcanti at the University of Sydney and Alessandro Fedrizzi at the University of Queensland, both in Australia, and their colleagues have made a measurement of the reality of the quantum wave function. Their results rule out a large class of interpretations of quantum mechanics and suggest that if there is any objective description of the world, the famous wave function is part of it: Schrödinger’s cat actually is both dead and alive.

Quantum experiment verifies Einstein’s “spooky action at a distance” (March 24, 2015)

Excerpts: An experiment,, has for the first time demonstrated Albert Einstein’s original conception of “spooky action at a distance” using a single particle.…

Professor Howard Wiseman and his experimental collaborators,, report their use of homodyne measurements to show what Einstein did not believe to be real, namely the non-local collapse of a (single) particle’s wave function … According to quantum mechanics, a single particle can be described by a wave function that spreads over arbitrarily large distances … by splitting a single photon between two laboratories, scientists have used homodyne detectors—which measure wave-like properties—to show the collapse of the wave function is a real effect … This phenomenon is explained in quantum theory,, the instantaneous non-local, (beyond space and time), collapse of the wave function to wherever the particle is detected. … “Einstein never accepted orthodox quantum mechanics and the original basis of his contention was this single-particle argument. This is why it is important to demonstrate non-local wave function collapse with a single particle,” says Professor Wiseman. …”Einstein’s view was that the detection of the particle only ever at one point could be much better explained by the hypothesis that the particle is only ever at one point, without invoking the instantaneous collapse of the wave function to nothing at all other points. …

“However, rather than simply detecting the presence or absence of the particle, we used homodyne measurements enabling one party to make different measurements and the other, using quantum tomography, to test the effect of those choices.” …”Through these different measurements, you see the wave function collapse in different ways, thus proving its existence and showing that Einstein was wrong.”

Double Slit, Quantum-Electrodynamics, and Christian Theism (vid)

Fine tuning of Light, to Atmosphere, Water, Photosynthesis, and Human Vision (vid)

See also: What is the difference between classical and quantum information? Rob Sheldon: What about QM information in DNA? Well, the sequence is pretty much fixed, so it would have to be located elsewhere–perhaps the methylation patterns that interact non-locally. Whatever it is, it would have to depend on permutations rather than combinations.

 

Comments
RVB: Quantum physicists are almost to a man (and woman) atheist. Laughable sophistry. The echo chamber effect of academia produces a plethora of atheists in many disciplines because it is the fashion. I know this from experience since I was an atheist myself as part of this structure when I was in graduate school at UT Austin. So I know how this works. And many physicists see themselves as intellectual superiors in the area of how the universe works and it bleeds over into their philosophical self-regard. Which is not a good situation for engendering humbleness. So they have a double incentive for materialist belief considering the previous paragraph. This also affected me as I was climbing the ladder of mathematical ability. Much of mathematics is human generated before applications arise and sometimes it engenders a godlike hubris among practitioners. You can read philosophical speculation on why the human mind generating mathematics parallels the behavior of nature, but I never heard people in science, math or engineering discuss this - they are enjoying sort of godlike intellectual abilities, in their own minds.groovamos
November 19, 2017
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Who would have figured, if you add theism to quantum mechanics you would end up with something that is friendly to theism?critical rationalist
November 19, 2017
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Axel @10, 1) Quantum physicists are almost to a man (and woman) atheist. 2)They are physicists, not biologists, which are different fields. 3)OOL, is an area Darwin refused to trapse into, although biologists today, 'frollic' in the field.:) 4) Subatomic particles are 'not', the 'building blocks', of life! They are the 'building blocks', of every material thing we know of. 5) Because 'sub-atomic' particles make everything, and follow known physical laws, we know we are part of this same framework. And that we are not, 'made' things, dancing to the tune of some cosmological prankster, i.e. Jesus.rvb8
November 18, 2017
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What have you got to say in response to this point made by J-Mac in another thread, rvb8? 'Isn’t it strange that no quantum physicist is working on the explanation for the origin of life? Shouldn’t it be obvious by now that there is more to life that some molecules coming together in primordial soup by unknown process? Have Darwinists ever heard that subatomic particles are the fundamental building blocks of life?' I think it is impossible for a materialist to dispute on even marginally-rational grounds.Axel
November 18, 2017
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@ #6 of rvb8 'And what does the ID community attempt doing at this announcement by hard working, largely camouflaged physicists? “Let’s use this discovery by physcists to prove god, and debunk Darwin.” This is so petty as to be beyond the pale Denyse.' ---------------- There... there, rvb8. All come out in the wash. But, on the other hand, you are going to be very unhappy, when it does.Axel
November 18, 2017
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Hmmm. The blockquotes in my previous post didn't work. It should look like this: FWIW, Denyse adds a quote and a link to another post:
See also: What is the difference between classical and quantum information? Rob Sheldon: What about QM information in DNA? Well, the sequence is pretty much fixed, so it would have to be located elsewhere–perhaps the methylation patterns that interact non-locally. Whatever it is, it would have to depend on permutations rather than combinations.
which I have shown is wrong in a number of ways.jdk
November 17, 2017
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FWIW, Denyse adds a quote and a link to another post: See also: What is the difference between classical and quantum information? Rob Sheldon: What about QM information in DNA? Well, the sequence is pretty much fixed, so it would have to be located elsewhere–perhaps the methylation patterns that interact non-locally. Whatever it is, it would have to depend on permutations rather than combinations. which I have shown is wrong in a number of ways.jdk
November 17, 2017
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Sev @3, note the date and time; we are in agreement. How on earth can News turn this finding into a defence of god? It is a level of mental gymnastics, even she should be awarded a gold medal for. Twisted light!? First question; There is such a thing as 'twisted light'? I had no idea. I was aware of 'photons', and that light travels in a wave, and that it has constituent parts, but 'twisted'? No! I had no idea. Did any of you? Honestly? Be careful you are largely Christian, and there is a loose moral code you have to ignore. What these scientists have uncovered is amazing. That they are looking to practical applications is amazing. That twisted light can be transmitted over only short distances is amazing; in short amazing! And what does the ID community attempt doing at this announcement by hard working, largely camouflaged physicists? "Let's use this discovery by physcists to prove god, and debunk Darwin." This is so petty as to be beyond the pale Denyse.rvb8
November 17, 2017
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Life is very efficient at what it does also, replicating with an amount of energy closer to the Landauer bound than any process man has developed: https://phys.org/news/2017-11-astonishing-efficiency-life.html (This links to http://rsta.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/375/2109, which is apparently devoted to OOL stuff...with authors including Wolpert, Walker, Adami and Hazen, who have been cited here over the years.EDTA
November 17, 2017
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I am so relieved that Phillip Cunninghamis doing well and still keeping up his beliefs... His mind dimensions are beyond mine... I wish I had his imagination...and knowledge of course... BA77@ We are watching you ...lolJ-Mac
November 17, 2017
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It's fascinating research but I don't see how it favors theism - or atheism, come to that.Seversky
November 17, 2017
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If you get rid of the unnecessary ideas of "particles" and 1/0 decisions, this is very old and completely unmysterious. An analog wavefront can carry any finite amount of information, depending on how well you measure the difference between one end of a wire (antenna) and the other. It's called radio.polistra
November 17, 2017
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"Twisted light can carry arbitrarily large amounts of information" Great! I'm getting bored with the meager amount of spam and advertising that classical information transmission sends my way.awstar
November 17, 2017
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