Quantum entanglement is the newest means of affirming a partnership between two people, at least at one hotel in Las Vegas. This could become a new trend among people looking to tie the subatomic knot.
The Art Motel is now offering a room where two or more people may enter to become bonded by entangled particles, operators state. In the space, a specially grown nonlinear crystal hangs in a sunny window. As light passes through the crystal, some of the photons become entangled. The light is then reflected around the room by prisms and mirrors, striking the people being joined.
The physics behind quantum entanglement involves a pair of subatomic particles that remain connected to each other through a mysterious quality. When one of the particles changes, it instantaneously affects its partner, regardless of the distance between the two objects. Because the two particles remain in constant contact, even if they are billions of light years apart, they are the perfect representation of a lifetime bond, operators state.
"Quantum entanglement is so incredibly romantic, when you think about it. Two or more particles that become entangled behave as if they're one and the same, even if they're a universe apart. To me, it just seemed like what more could you want in a relationship than what those particles share?" said Jonathon Keats, creator of the quantum entanglement marriage ceremony.
The idea behind the room is that entangled photons will enter the couple and cause electrons in the outer shells of atoms to become entangled, providing clients with joined atoms. However, due to the bizarre nature of quantum mechanics, there is no way to tell whether or not this took place. Oddly, the laws of physics state that the simple act of measuring an entangled particle disengages it from its partner.
"It seemed to sort of contain within it the essence of trust that really makes a relationship sustainable," Keats told the press.
The designer and his wife have participated in the entanglement ceremony. They tell of their belief that this ceremony was more significant than a document obtained at City Hall. Keats and his team believe that this ceremony allows couples (or groups) to decide how they define their own partnerships, as there is no way to determine the extent of the entanglement, if any.
Albert Einstein once described quantum entanglement as "spooky action at a distance." Although the famed physicist had his doubts about this bizarre partnership between subatomic particles, later experiments proved predictions to be correct.
Joining a life partner in Las Vegas now has a new option for those more interested in science than Elvis Presley impersonators.
Photo: Shannon Kringen | Flickr
