"A
core phenomenon in quantum physics where two or more subatomic
particles become deeply connected so that the quantum state of one
particle cannot be described independently of the others, even when
they are separated by vast distances. Most atoms consist of three
primary subatomic particles.”Revised version
The
Quantum Entanglement Machine
“I
am told that Dr Max Jennings together with his friend Isaac Bamford
have made significant strides into some obscure branch of physics.”
“Yes,
I have heard that rumour too, after the Nobel, no doubt! You do know
they both studied under that funny chap over at Trinity, what was
his name, the one who mysteriously disappeared. Did they ever find
out what became of him?”
“Oh
yes, Butterworth or something, wasn’t it, ran off with the Dean’s
daughter, from what I heard, quite a scandal.”
The
two walked across the Great Court for luncheon at High Table.
“What
exactly are Bamford and Jennings working on?”
“I
have no idea, old chap, something to do with Quantum Entanglement,
I’m told.”
“What
rot. Didn’t Einstein debunk that theory back in ‘35?”
“Don’t
ask me, I have no idea. All I can think about is luncheon; I’m
starving. I hope they will be serving the ‘52 claret and not that
cheap plonk they tried to foist on us in the Michaelmas term.”
Meanwhile,
in a large laboratory, Professor Jennings paced around a tall,
complex machine like a large cabinet with a glass front; it hummed
quietly. Powerful magnets and electrical coils were attached to every
surface. Cables and pipes came out like tentacles, connecting it to
the walls, floor and ceiling of the laboratory. The whole room hummed
with some unseen power, and from the cooling pipes, frosty mist was
falling onto the floor, obscuring the men’s shoes. Their hair stood
on end, as if the air was charged with static electricity. Bamford
looked doubtfully and said,
“I
don’t understand what this machine does, let alone how it works.”
Exasperated, Jennings said,
“Bamford,
I have tried to explain it before. It exploits a strange and
misunderstood phenomenon that most physicists reject it out of
ignorance because they claim it violates a fundamental law of
physics: the speed of light. It has long been understood that objects
made of identical subatomic particles but separated in space can have
a special and instantaneous connection, even over vast distances.
They are inexplicably ‘entangled.’ I know Einstein has
dismissed this concept as ‘spooky
action at a distance’; nevertheless, it remains a fact.”
“I’m
sorry, Jennings, but I still don’t understand?” Bamford said,
looking mystified. Jennings stared
into his bemused face, and with a great sigh said,
“Whatever
is done to one of a pair of ‘entangled objects’ instantaneously
affects the other, no matter the distance between them. I have
discovered how to exploit these phenomena and
manipulate the matter an object is made from.”
“You
mean this contraption is one of a pair!”
“Indeed,
the other is with Professor Ziegler in Vienna. So, if I
place an object into this chamber and activate the device, any random
arrangement of atoms contained in the counterpart machine will
rearrange into an exact replica instantaneously, and vice versa,
provided they are of the same basic matter, of course.”
“I
see,” said Bamford, who was struggling to understand the concept,
“like a photocopier, you mean,” he said hesitantly, although he
looked doubtful.
“A
rather crude comparison, Bamford,
but yes,
essentially. I’m sure you can see, the possibilities are endless!
Even if the other device were on the moon, or Mars, or even the other
side of the galaxy, an exact replica would appear instantaneously.
You could build anything here on Earth, and an exact, but
mirrored copy
would appear in the other device, wherever it was. The two
are entangled at
the Quantum level, but only whilst they remain inside the containment
field of their respective devices. What happens once they are
removed, I do not know. The copy may well turn to dust.”
“Well,
it is a remarkable invention, Jennings!” Bamford said in
astonishment. “But
if you cannot remove it from the chamber without it crumbling to
dust, it is utterly useless!”
The
telephone rang somewhere in the room. Jennings picked up the
receiver,
“Are
you ready, Professor Ziegler?” An indistinct reply was heard,
which may have been,
“Ja,”
followed by, “Treten
Sie zurück, ich platziere den Gegenstand jetzt in der
Kammer.“ (Stand
back, I am placing the object in the chamber now.)
Both Bamford and Jennings stood back, shielding their eyes as
something materialised in the chamber in a blaze of light.
Astonished, Bamford reached for the door of the machine, but Jennings
grabbed him, shouting,
“No!
Don’t touch it! Not until the containment field is fully off. We do
not know what would happen if your arm entered that field whilst it
is still running.” Bamford reeled back, looking shocked. With the
power off and the humming silent, they saw a small silver cigarette
case lying on the chamber floor. Bamford knelt down to look through
the chamber door at the small object. It was perfect in every
respect; an
engraved
inscription read,
9491,egelloC
ytinirT ot ecnatpecca sih no xaM nos raed ym oT
After
examining the case carefully, they
noticed that the cigarette case was an exact mirror of the original,
including
scratches and dents.
After
examining it for a while, Bamford
looked straight at his old friend and said seriously,
“What
would happen if a man stood in this
chamber, and
the device activated?
Would
he too
be duplicated, like
the cigarette case?”
His
voice trembled
slightly
at the horrific prospect of
what monsters could be created.
“No
one knows, Bamford. We have contemplated the thought, of course, but
some things must surely be forbidden. Every
powerful scientific invention has always had the potential for great
good and for awful
destruction,” he
said. Bamford, looked horrified at his friend as if seeing him in a
new light. Images
of Mary Shelly’s novel came to his mind as he said,
“Jennings,
you have been my friend since coming
up
together, but you must know that the creation
of life belongs to the Almighty alone.” Looking
slightly bashful, Jennings
replied
quietly,
“Well,
so far we
have only experimented with simple
inanimate
objects. But I
suppose
living beings are a different matter.” Bamford grabbed his friend’s arm forcefully and said,
“In
all your
excitement, so
full
of your
own genius, did you
stop to think of moral or ethical implications of your
invention? You
have been playing with God’s own toolbox
of creation,
but too carried
away
by
your own cleverness to think that
it
may be a thing forbidden.
“Jennings,
a man is so much more than molecules and atoms! They are simply the
dust his body is made from. But the living, thinking, feeling man is
the spirit that inhabits his body, drives his desires, and his will.
“I’m
sure that that cannot be transmitted; it is unique. If you tried,
what materialised in the other chamber may simply be an animated
corpse, a biological object without purpose or will. All Bios and no
Zoe.”
Both
men shuddered at the thought.
Copyright
Christopher Mathews, November 2026
