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Quantum teleportation describes the transfer of a quantum state from one place to another, by a sender who knows neither the state to be teleported nor the location of the receiver. The phenomenon is one of the most intriguing examples of how quantum entanglement can assist in realizing practical tasks, and is involved in numerous quantum communication and quantum computation schemes. Quantum teleportation of single bits of quantum information has been demonstrated before, but large-scale applications require the transfer of composite systems. Now Qiang Zhang and colleagues report the teleportation of combined polarization states — including entanglement — of two photons, the key to their success being the development of an efficient six-photon interferometer.
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2006 has been awarded to John C. Mather and George F. Smoot, "for their discovery of the blackbody form and anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation".
The combined data from four systems of telescopes offer the strongest evidence yet that a modification of gravity cannot do away with the need for dark matter.
Quantum teleportation in itself is intriguing. But now the combined states of two photons have been teleported — while preserving their entanglement — and this could bring large-scale quantum communication and computation a step closer.
A new kind of X-ray microscopy can visualize single-unit-cell steps on a crystal surface. This is an order of magnitude better depth-resolution than current X-ray microscopes can achieve.
The flow behaviour of solid helium at very low temperatures has recently generated as much controversy as excitement. An experiment looking directly at the grain boundaries offers fresh insights.
Atom-waves interferometers are becoming ever more compact. A new way of coherently splitting atom waves, based on radiofrequency fields, could extend the capabilities of these miniature atom traps.
When two one-dimensional Bose–Einstein condensates interfere, they exhibit a fluctuating interference pattern. The full statistical distribution of the interference amplitude can be predicted, thanks to a remarkable connection to several exactly solvable problems.