Quantum Entanglement

In Girl in the Glass, Declan invokes entanglement, one of quantum mechanics’ core principles, to explain why Mary Elizabeth and Embrie can both exist:

“Here’s the nifty bit,” responded Declan. “There’s an answer built into quantum theory. Einstein’s interpretation allows matter, separated by large distances, to exert effects on each other. It’s called quantum entanglement, and this is where the Axyn Kirox fits in. I think the Axyn Kirox keeps these entangled particles, the two versions of Mary Elizabeth, stable enough to function separately, even over vast distances.”

Quantum entanglement occurs when two or more particles become linked, their fates are intertwined, regardless of the distance separating them. Theoretically described in 1935 by Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen, they argued that quantum mechanics allowed for entangled particles, and measuring one particle in the entangled pair instantaneously affects the other, even if they were light-years apart. Erwin Schrödinger (same guy as Schrödinger’s cat) described this connection as “entanglement,” and while initially controversial, experimental evidence has since confirmed entanglement.

Even Albert Einstein, one of entanglement’s discoverers, called it “Spooky action at a distance,” and the underlying mechanism is still not fully understood. To better grasp the concept, here’s an analogy:

Imagine two coins, both initially showing heads. You put them in separate boxes and shake them up. If you open one box and see tails, you instantly know the other box contains a heads coin, even if the boxes are on opposite sides of the universe. This is similar to entanglement, where the “states” of the coins (heads or tails) are linked.

In practical applications, entanglement is a fundamental principle in quantum computing and quantum communication. It enables qubits in quantum computers to process information in a highly correlated way, leading to potential computational advantages. It's also used in quantum cryptography, creating theoretically unhackable encryption keys. Despite its counterintuitive nature, quantum entanglement is a powerful and real phenomenon at the heart of the quantum world. It’s also fundamental to Declan’s heart, explaining the existence of both Mary Elizabeth and Embrie.