This article is a personal reflection by Krister Shalm, a physicist at NIST, who shares how his passion for quantum physics began in an undergraduate class and how it has shaped his career. He draws a creative connection between quantum physics and Lindy Hop dancing, highlighting how both require creativity, precision, and a deep understanding of connection and movement. Shalm explains quantum mechanics in simple terms, using analogies like quantum tunneling and entanglement to help readers grasp the strange and fascinating behavior of particles at the quantum level.
Shalm’s research focuses on entangled photons, which are particles that share a deep connection, no matter how far apart they are. This phenomenon, called entanglement, is a key principle in quantum mechanics and has potential applications in secure communications and quantum networks. He discusses the challenges of working with entangled photons, which are fragile and hard to maintain over long distances. Despite these challenges, his team has made progress, including developing a high-quality randomness service using entangled photons that could be used in secure communications and other applications. Shalm is excited about the future of quantum technologies and the role NIST plays in advancing them.
Source: https://www.nist.gov/blogs/taking-measure/quantum-and-dance-it-takes-2-entangle
Keywords: entanglement, quantum networks, random number generator
