Quantum entanglement: a riddle that Einstein could not explain.

Some discoveries in physics are so strange that even Albert Einstein struggled with them.

One of them is quantum entanglement.

Before we continue, first a brief explanation.

Elementary particles are the smallest known building blocks of nature, such as electrons and photons. Everything we see around us ultimately consists of such particles.

Under special circumstances, two of those elementary particles can become entangled. Even when they are subsequently separated far from each other, they retain a special relationship.

Experiments have confirmed time and again that this phenomenon actually exists.

Twee verstrengelde elementaire deeltjes behouden een bijzondere relatie, ook wanneer ze over grote afstanden van elkaar zijn gescheiden. De pijlen symboliseren hun spin: een fundamentele kwantumeigenschap.

Einstein found this extraordinarily difficult to accept.

Why?

Because experiments show that the cohesion between entangled particles manifests immediately , even when the particles are far apart.

Compared to the speed of light, this coherence appears to be instantaneous .

That is precisely what confused Einstein. According to his theory of relativity, no signal or influence can propagate faster than light. That is why he mockingly called the phenomenon

“spooky action at a distance” .

Physicists have conducted research on this for decades. Quantum entanglement has become one of the most researched phenomena in modern physics. We still don't truly understand it!

But perhaps we are still looking from the wrong starting point.

Perhaps the greatest mystery does not lie in the question of how two entangled elementary particles remain connected.

Perhaps we should first ask a much more fundamental question.

Does distance actually exist at the deepest level of reality?

In my book Window in Spacetime, Professor Isambard investigates precisely that question. His search leads to a discovery that seems impossible: direct contact with the Xar civilization on the planet Xania , 52,000 light years from Earth.

Based on a physics riddle that has occupied scientists for nearly a century.

Because sometimes a new insight doesn't begin with an answer…

....but with the right question.

Want to read more? Discover "Window in Spacetime"