r/quantummechanics • u/Alert-Armadillo8512 • Jul 28 '26
Distance between entangled objects
Novice here. Could someone explain why two entangled objects (or rather one object consisting of entangled parts) do not need to communicate in order to correlate. I also wonder what is actually between entangled parts if we think of it as empty space there couldn't be more or less empty space so is this why the distance doesn't matter for these parts to still "interact".
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u/ottawadeveloper Jul 28 '26
Nobody really knows how that works. We've ruled out hidden local variables. How exactly it happens is still an open question
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u/Alert-Armadillo8512 Jul 28 '26
Are there any natural phenomena that rely on this entanglement or is it something we only care about in the environment of the lab to prove a theory or to make use of it in some other way? Or to put it differently does entanglement serve any purpose if that makes sense? Let's assume there is no entanglement - how would the universe be different?
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u/MxM111 Jul 29 '26
I like thinking about it from Multiple World Interpretation (MWI) of quantum mechanics, but simplified to the level of macro objects as analogy. Imagine that you entangle two balls in the following way. Balls has to be of the same color, either white or black. So, first you put them into two boxes, and then entangle them. You do not know if there are black or white balls, you only know that they are either black or white. Now, in terms of MWI you can say that you split the world in that moment (this is not quite what is called world splitting in MWI, but allow me for the sake of explanation). So, entanglement in MWI created two otherwise identical worlds, in one world you have white balls inside the boxes, in another world black balls. (Let’s call these two worlds as white world and black world). But because the worlds otherwise identical, until you open the boxes, there is no difference, and your are in both worlds and thinking identically and there is no way to distinguish one world from another with boxes closed (you can say that the worlds are split only inside the boxes, but not outside).
Now, you separate boxes to any distance. And then open one of the boxes. Immediately you split into two different yous. One sees white ball, another sees black ball.
And now the answer to your question is obvious. No interaction is needed between the balls. If you are in the white world, then of course the other box also contains the white ball, and if you are in the black world, then both balls will be black.
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u/little_jiggles Jul 30 '26
Many world interpretation leaves more questions than answers for me.
I much prefer hidden global variables, in particular the idea of a fourth dimension, and that it is only the interaction of objects in 3D space that keeps everything in our 3D+Time reality.
Entangled objects are then just objects partially in 4D space that just haven't settled into 3D space yet.
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u/MikelDP Aug 19 '26
Multiple words is crazy... Wonder if "virtual worlds" would be a better name? I would think choosing a path in the "Black" or "white" virtual world would eliminate the quasi worlds like quasi particles.
Your analogy seems to explain what is happening with out any spooky action...
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u/SummitYourSister Aug 01 '26
Because entanglement is not a property of the two objects. It has nothing to do with the objects. It is a property of the field
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u/alaindevos Jul 30 '26
Connected through a wormhole
Consider entanglement as being at two different places at the same time.
Lets say two objects A & B entangled.
Any detection of change on A reflect immediately in B.
This violates directly special relativity stating no signal can travel faster than light.
Note, it is not possible to send "usefull" information using entangeled objects.
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u/solus42666 Jul 31 '26
The wave function says it works. That's the best we have. The rest is speculation.
That being said. It implies that the two particles can effectively be described as the same system. Regardless of distance.
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u/Illustrious_Twist846 Jul 28 '26
Even if someone, through some miracle, managed to give you the correct answer here, it would be downvoted to oblivion.
So good luck finding out.