Scientists "Teleport" Quantum Information One Meter 107
the4thdimension writes "While we may not be beaming up to the Enterprise anytime soon, a team of scientists from the University of Maryland and the University of Michigan have managed to teleport information between two atoms up to a meter apart. Until this point, only very tiny distances were able to be traveled. However, using a complicated system of photons, ions, lasers, and electromagnetics, scientists have managed to 'teleport' information contained on one atom to another atom that is in a separate sealed container. This can lead to a wide range of developments in computing and communications." Update: 01/29 22:29 GMT by T : Sorry, it's a dupe, but today's article in Time is better reading than the abstract anyhow.
Is this really new? (Score:5, Interesting)
I watched a BBC documentary 'Visions of the Future' online a couple of days ago, and a team in Vienna had already teleported information between photons years ago. See here [google.com], about 50 minutes in. (I recommend watching all three programmes, it's an interesting documentary). The professor in the video states that the record stands at 600 metres. I'm no physicist, so could someone explain what is so different about what has been achieved in the article? Is the difference between teleporting information between photons and atoms so distinct?
First teleported comment (Score:4, Interesting)
BTW I am patenting 'Teleposting' as I like to call it.
Re:Star Trek Shenanigans (Score:4, Interesting)
For the last time quantum teleportation isn't star trek style [xkcd.com], its far more impressive. It's [crystalinks.com] transferring information you don't even know across space.
No Communication Theorem (Score:2, Interesting)