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Circa 2013 o.o


Quantum entanglement, one of the odder aspects of quantum theory, links the properties of particles even when they are separated by large distances. When a property of one of a pair of entangled particles is measured, the other “immediately” settles down into a state compatible with that measurement. So how fast is “immediately”? According to research by Prof. Juan Yin and colleagues at the University of Science and Technology of China in Shanghai, the lower limit to the speed associated with entanglement dynamics – or “spooky action at a distance” – is at least 10000 times faster than light.

Despite playing a vital role in the development of quantum theory, Einstein felt philosophically at odds with its description of how the universe works. His famous quote that “God does not play dice” hints at his level of discomfort with the role of probability in quantum theory. He believed there exists another level of reality in which all of physics would be deterministic, and that quantum mechanics would turn out to be a description that emerges from the workings of that level – rather like a traffic jam emerges from the independent motions of a large number of cars.

In 1935 Einstein and his coworkers discovered quantum entanglement lurking in the equations of quantum mechanics, and realized its utter strangeness. This lead to the EPR paradox introduced by Einstein, Poldolsky and Rosen. The EPR paradox stated that the only ways of explaining the effects of quantum entanglement were to assume the universe is nonlocal, or that the true basis of physics is hidden (otherwise known as a hidden-variable theory). Nonlocality in this case means that events occurring to entangled objects are linked even when the events cannot communicate through spacetime, spacetime having the speed of light as a limiting velocity. Nonlocality is also known as spooky action at a distance (Einstein’s phrase).

O., o circa 2020.


Last week, Honeywell’s Quantum Solutions division released its first commercial quantum computer: a system based on trapped ions comprising 10 qubits. The H1, as it’s called, is actually the same ion trap chip the company debuted as a prototype, but with four additional ions. The company revealed a roadmap that it says will rapidly lead to much more powerful quantum computers. Separately, a competitor in ion-trap quantum computing, Maryland-based startup IonQ, unveiled a 32-qubit ion computer last month.

Human-Autonomy Interaction, Collaboration and Trust — Dr. Julie Marble, JHU Applied Physics Laboratory (APL)


Dr. Julie Marble is a senior scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL) leading research in human-autonomy interaction, collaboration and trust.

Dr. Marble earned her PhD in Human Factors/Cognitive Psychology from Purdue University. After graduating from Purdue University, she joined the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), one of the national laboratories of the United States Department of Energy involved in nuclear research, first in the Human Factors group and then the Human and Robotic Systems group.

Following INL, she joined Sentient Corporation, where as CEO she led a DARPA Broad Agency Announcement BAA on Neuro-Technology for Intelligence Analysts and led research on to develop an intelligent decision aid to perform just-in-time maintenance on Navy helicopters.

Dr. Marble then worked as a Senior Scientist at the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission leading international and US studies on Human-Reliability Analysis methods in this vital domain and related to this, she is internationally recognized for her work, and is co-author of the SPAR-H method (Standardized Plant Analysis Risk Human Reliability Analysis), the most commonly used method of human reliability analysis in the US. She is also co-developer of the Cultural Affective Model, which integrates cultural impacts into human reliability in order to predict operator behavior.