Gary Garrison

Quantum Teleportation
Teleportation was first proposed theoretically by IBM scientist Charles H. Bennett and colleagues in 1993 in a paper titled "Teleporting an unknown quantum state via dual classical and Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen channels". Building on this landmark paper that examined methods of applying a phenomenon known as "entanglement," teams of physicists at laboratories in the United States (IBM), Austria and Italy have successfully "teleported" light-carrying particles called photons.

This “teleportation” process involves a photon’s individual quantum state, a key characteristic that defines that particle’s nature and behavior. Then the technique to create entanglement requires sending a brief pulse of ultraviolet light through a specialized crystal that splits a single, high-energy photon into two lower-energy photons. Because the particles’ polarization, a mathematical property that describes a photon’s physical orientation, is complementary, the photons are said to be entangled. In order to teleport, however, a third photon must also be involved.

When the first of the two originally entangled photons, the “sender” photon A, is sent to the same location as an un-entangled third photon, the “receiver” photon C, then A and C subsequently become entangled. A special test, known as a Bell-state measurement is then conducted, and photon C loses its original quantum-state identity. Instantly, the second of the two originally entangled photons, call it photon B known as a “verifier”, is itself transformed. In other words, B becomes C. For all practical purposes, photon C has teleported to B’s location and B disappears into “space.”

Despite B’s quantum-state destruction (because its polarization is now that of C, B is C and no longer B), no cosmic rules have been broken. No information has been sent faster than light because, for B to become C, information on A’s properties must be communicated via light-speed-observing devices like radios, telephones or computers. Source: http://pr.caltech.edu/media/Press_Releases/PR11935.html

Digital Teleportation
Teleportec Inc., a company based in Dallas, Texas, has taken the idea of teleportation, and has created and is marketing their concept known as “digital teleportation.” Although digital teleportation is not the mode of transportation utilized by the crew of “Star Trek” that we have become so accustomed to seeing over the years, this technology offers society the next best, realistic alternative to human teleportation.

This unique technology digitally transports humans in a life-sized, 3-D image to remote locations, allowing the "transported" party to have eye-to-eye contact with all participants without the aid of visible cameras or monitors using connectivity options that include ISDN, T1 and IP. In addition, participants can be digitally teleported from their office to appear in a chair at a conference table or in a chair at another office, or appear at a lectern during a symposium, having the ability to converse in a “face to face” manner with other participants, thereby making distance irrelevant.

Teleportec luncheon with Texas Governor (Picture: Courtesy of Teleportec)

Teleportec Lectern System (Picture: Courtesy of Teleportec)

Financial Services
A bank representative can hold “face to face” meetings with customers inside the customer’s home or office without having to leave his/her office. In addition, data sharing capabilities can also allow mortgage or loan applications to be viewed and discussed in real time.

Education
A greater number of students can have access to the best teachers from around the world. Professors can share their expertise and simultaneously work on the same research projects or experiments. Cultural exchange programs can be readily implemented to add value to any curriculum.

Health & Medical Services
Hospitals, physicians and pharmacists can deliver medical advice and expertise direct to the patient where ever and whenever it is needed. Doctors can provide guidance to fellow doctors during complicated surgeries or assist in a patient’s diagnosis.

Government
Heads of State can meet on a regular basis to discuss International policies and to increase peace negotiations between warring countries. Social Services, like welfare and child placement agencies, can hold more “at home” visits with participants which can be an efficient and cost effective way to deliver key services. Local and state politicians can have more opportunities to meet and resolve governmental issues.

Future of Teleportation
Applications of quantum teleportation will be in quantum computers and quantum cryptography, not human transport. Experts theorize that quantum computing would be so fast that it would make contemporary supercomputing seem like slide rule computing. In addition, quantum-mechanics-based encryption would be unbreakable because quantum cryptography, a communications procedure, is so secure that any attempt at interception of an encrypted code would result in a message's immediate destruction. This ultra secure communications system has vast implications for the future of national security and international intelligence, because information encrypted with quantum cryptography is 100 percent secure. The good news is we won’t have to wait too long for this technology to be available for commercial use because a quantum computer prototype already exists at Los Alamos. However, in 1999, this computer was limited in sending information over distances beyond 48 kilometers and no new literature was found updating any advancements in this field. Source: http://www.netowne.com/technology/weirdscience/

Human Teleportation
To teleport a human would require knowledge of the type and exact position and movement of all of the trillions of trillions of atoms making up the person to be teleported. Even if technology will someday be a reality for this “road block”, there is more to genetic make up than just the physical form. There are countless molecular and chemical reactions occurring throughout the human body, not to mention there are billions of billions of electrical processes being transmitted in the brain and throughout the entire nervous system. The likelihood of a teleportation device capable of capturing all of this phenomena and “freezing” it to be transported to another location, in the identical state it left, is astronomically small.

Teleportec This is a website of a company that deals in face to face communication utilizing Digital Teleportation technology complete with a video demonstration

American Institute of Physics Depiction of the University of Innsbruck experimental setup for achieving quantum teleportation

Atom Experiment Brings Teleportation a Step Closer Physicists in Denmark have made two samples of trillions of atoms interact at a distance in an experiment which may bring Star Trek-style teleportation and rapid quantum computing closer to reality

Quantum Teleportation A Web site with links to Charles Bennett's paper and other papers on Teleportation with dates ranging from 1993 to 2002

Breakthrough in Teleportation Tech A short article on Teleportation contains a 2 minute video clip of the latest advances by scientists at Australia's National University

Australian Teleport Breakthrough An article on how the Australians successfully carried out the disembodiment of an object in one location and its reconstruction in another