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Nature 454, 831-832 (14 August 2008) | doi:10.1038/454831a; Published online 13 August 2008

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Quantum mechanics: The speed of instantly

Terence G. Rudolph1

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Pairs of quantum-mechanically entangled particles seem to know at once what is happening to each other. Experiments show that even if this signalling is not instantaneous, it must be really, really fast.

One piece of Einstein's theory of relativity that has taken hold in popular imagination can be summarized by the mantra "nothing travels faster than light". What is less well known is that the theory of quantum mechanics, which deals with the behaviour of very small systems such as atomic and subatomic particles, violates the spirit (if not the letter) of this fundamental principle.

  1. Terence G. Rudolph is in the Department of Physics, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
    Email: t.rudolph@imperial.ac.uk

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