Scientists simulated a “baby wormhole” on Google’s Sycamore quantum processor.
Key Takeaways
- Researchers claim to have simulated a wormhole on a quantum computer, transmitting quantum information through a space-time tunnel.
- The experiment observed “baby wormhole” dynamics, providing insights into Einstein-Rosen bridges without physically rupturing space-time.
- Using Google’s Sycamore quantum processor, the experiment demonstrated a technical milestone in simulating quantum gravity theories.
- Experts emphasize that no physical wormhole was created, but the experiment is a step toward exploring quantum gravity in the lab.
- While practical wormholes remain a distant possibility, this research opens doors to studying fundamental cosmic phenomena experimentally.
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Researchers have announced a groundbreaking experiment that simulated a traversable wormhole using a quantum computer. While no physical rupture in space-time was created, the study offers a significant step toward understanding Einstein-Rosen bridges, theoretical constructs first described by Albert Einstein and Nathan Rosen. Published in the journal Nature, the findings represent a promising avenue for probing quantum gravity experimentally.
A Glimpse of Wormhole Dynamics
The experiment, conducted on Google’s Sycamore quantum processor, involved simulating two minuscule black holes connected by a tunnel-like space-time structure. A quantum message was transmitted between these points, and researchers observed behaviors consistent with wormhole-like dynamics. Study co-author Joseph Lykken, a physicist at Fermilab, remarked, “It looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck,” indicating the simulation closely mimicked a theoretical wormhole.
Caltech physicist Maria Spiropulu, another co-author, described the experiment as creating a “baby wormhole.” She expressed hope for incremental progress toward developing “adult” or larger-scale wormholes in the future.
Limits and Possibilities
Despite its success, the simulation remains far from realizing a physical wormhole. MIT physicist Daniel Harlow noted that the simplified model could have been studied using traditional methods, such as pen and paper. However, he acknowledged the achievement as a significant technical milestone, paving the way for more complex quantum gravity simulations.
The researchers themselves tempered expectations about practical applications, emphasizing the speculative nature of sending physical objects or beings through wormholes. Spiropulu humorously addressed questions about whether living beings could traverse these structures, firmly stating, “That’s a huge leap.”
A Step Toward Understanding the Universe
Wormholes are a staple of Einstein’s theory of general relativity and have long captured scientific and public imagination. Coined by physicist John Wheeler in the 1950s, the term describes hypothetical bridges connecting distant parts of the universe. This experiment represents the first tangible step toward investigating such phenomena in a laboratory setting.
“This is a way to actually look at these very fundamental problems of our universe in a laboratory,” said Lykken, highlighting the experiment’s significance in exploring quantum gravity experimentally. While sending people or objects through wormholes remains theoretical, this research marks a crucial milestone in bridging abstract theories and real-world experimentation.
