Beam Me Up: 'Teleportation' Is Year's Biggest Breakthrough

Gerald · 12-17-10, 09:37 PM

Thanks to physics, and the truly bizarre quirks of quarks, those Star Trek style teleporters may be more than fiction. A strange discovery by quantum physicists at the University of California Santa Barbara means that an object you can see in front of you may exist simultaneously in a parallel universe -- a multi-state condition that has scientists theorizing that teleportation or even time travel may be much more than just the plaything of science fiction writers.Until this year, all human-made objects have moved according to the laws of classical mechanics, the rules governing ordinary objects. Toss a ball in the air and it falls back to Earth. Drop a coin from your roof and it falls into your yard. But back in March, a group of researchers designed a gadget that moves in ways that can only be described by quantum mechanics -- the set of rules that governs the behavior of tiny things like molecules, atoms, and subatomic particles.

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/...-breakthrough/

Note:Published December 17, 2010

Gerald · 12-17-10, 09:38 PM

Smooth, just what I need, to keep up with what should be done in the near future.

onelifecrisis · 12-17-10, 11:36 PM

Hmm. If time travel is possible, how come nobody has visited us from the future?

TLAM Strike · 12-17-10, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onelifecrisis

Hmm. If time travel is possible, how come nobody has visited us from the future?

One explanation: by traveling in time the traveler creates a divergent reality to their own. No time traveler visits an existing reality and thus not creating a paradox, they can only visit the reality they created.

Jimbuna · 12-18-10, 04:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

One explanation: by traveling in time the traveler creates a divergent reality to their own. No time traveler visits an existing reality and thus not creating a paradox, they can only visit the reality they created.

Ah, that explains it then

papa_smurf · 12-18-10, 05:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

One explanation: by traveling in time the traveler creates a divergent reality to their own. No time traveler visits an existing reality and thus not creating a paradox, they can only visit the reality they created.

Don't get me started on paradoxes

Growler · 12-18-10, 09:51 AM

Huh?

onelifecrisis · 12-18-10, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

One explanation: by traveling in time the traveler creates a divergent reality to their own. No time traveler visits an existing reality and thus not creating a paradox, they can only visit the reality they created.

Surely all those alternate realities would cause even God's CPU to overheat.

Growler · 12-18-10, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onelifecrisis

Surely all those alternate realities would cause even God's CPU to overheat.

How does one overCLOCK a TIME machine?

onelifecrisis · 12-18-10, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Growler

How does one overCLOCK a TIME machine?

ohhhhhhhh you!

TLAM Strike · 12-18-10, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onelifecrisis

Surely all those alternate realities would cause even God's CPU to overheat.

He has a multi-core processor. One for each reality.

onelifecrisis · 12-18-10, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

He has a multi-core processor. One for each reality.

So when you time travel you don't just make a new reality, but a new core as well?

Getting back on track... sort of... if going back in time makes a new reality then how come we happen to be in the one "original" or "true" reality? Isn't that reminiscent of the old "earth is the centre of the universe" theory?

onelifecrisis · 12-18-10, 11:21 AM

Also, if time travel creates alternate realities then a time travel machine that works would result in the traveller disappearing and never, ever returning (to that reality) which would mean it would be indistinguishable from a machine that just vaporises anyone stupid enough to get in it. That would make it kind of difficult to test.

TLAM Strike · 12-18-10, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onelifecrisis

So when you time travel you don't just make a new reality, but a new core as well?

It also partitions his hard drive, but thats a whole other discussion...

Quote:

Getting back on track... sort of... if going back in time makes a new reality then how come we happen to be in the one "original" or "true" reality? Isn't that reminiscent of the old "earth is the centre of the universe" theory?

Or it could be said that this universe is the center of our reality.

Quote:

Originally Posted by onelifecrisis

Also, if time travel creates alternate realities then a time travel machine that works would result in the traveller disappearing and never, ever returning (to that reality) which would mean it would be indistinguishable from a machine that just vaporises anyone stupid enough to get in it. That would make it kind of difficult to test.

Not really, in any reaction no matter is created or destroyed. This is a fundamental law of physics. A through examination of the machine would show that all the matter in the traver's body either was converted to another state (destroyed) or is not there anymore (sent to another reality).

onelifecrisis · 12-18-10, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Or it could be said that this universe is the center of our reality.

I'm not sure what you mean.
If time travel is possible and it creates new realities then every time something travels through time a reality is created in which something or someone just popped into existence. How come we're not in one of those realities? Do we just happen to be in the "original" reality?

Quote:

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

Not really, in any reaction no matter is created or destroyed. This is a fundamental law of physics. A through examination of the machine would show that all the matter in the traver's body either was converted to another state (destroyed) or is not there anymore (sent to another reality).

My use of the word "vaporised" was... let's call it artistic license. The point is that you wouldn't know where it went or what state it arrived in. All you'd know is that it disappeared. You could say "I made a machine that makes things disappear! REALLY disappear!" and someone would probably give you a physics prize, but I bet you couldn't persuade anyone to get in and go for a ride. Even if you could, you'd still have no idea whether you'd made a time travel machine or just a "vaporizer".

12-17-10, 09:37 PM	#1
Gerald SUBSIM Newsman Join Date: May 2008 Location: Close to sea Posts: 24,254 Downloads: 553 Uploads: 0	Beam Me Up: 'Teleportation' Is Year's Biggest Breakthrough Thanks to physics, and the truly bizarre quirks of quarks, those Star Trek style teleporters may be more than fiction. A strange discovery by quantum physicists at the University of California Santa Barbara means that an object you can see in front of you may exist simultaneously in a parallel universe -- a multi-state condition that has scientists theorizing that teleportation or even time travel may be much more than just the plaything of science fiction writers.Until this year, all human-made objects have moved according to the laws of classical mechanics, the rules governing ordinary objects. Toss a ball in the air and it falls back to Earth. Drop a coin from your roof and it falls into your yard. But back in March, a group of researchers designed a gadget that moves in ways that can only be described by quantum mechanics -- the set of rules that governs the behavior of tiny things like molecules, atoms, and subatomic particles. http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/...-breakthrough/ Note:Published December 17, 2010 __________________ Nothing in life is to be feard,it is only to be understood. Marie Curie

12-17-10, 09:38 PM	#2
Gerald SUBSIM Newsman Join Date: May 2008 Location: Close to sea Posts: 24,254 Downloads: 553 Uploads: 0	Smooth, just what I need, to keep up with what should be done in the near future. __________________ Nothing in life is to be feard,it is only to be understood. Marie Curie

12-17-10, 11:36 PM	#3
onelifecrisis Maverick Modder Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: England Posts: 3,895 Downloads: 65 Uploads: 3	Hmm. If time travel is possible, how come nobody has visited us from the future? __________________ Freedom of speech - priceless. For everything else there's Mastercard.

12-18-10, 09:51 AM	#7
Growler A long way from the sea Join Date: May 2005 Location: Iowa Posts: 1,913 Downloads: 21 Uploads: 0	Huh? __________________ At Fiddler’s Green, where seamen true When here they’ve done their duty The bowl of grog shall still renew And pledge to love and beauty.

12-18-10, 11:21 AM	#13
onelifecrisis Maverick Modder Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: England Posts: 3,895 Downloads: 65 Uploads: 3	Also, if time travel creates alternate realities then a time travel machine that works would result in the traveller disappearing and never, ever returning (to that reality) which would mean it would be indistinguishable from a machine that just vaporises anyone stupid enough to get in it. That would make it kind of difficult to test. __________________ Freedom of speech - priceless. For everything else there's Mastercard.