Surya Deva
Well-Known Member
Nope, actually some did:
Well, actually, something bigger can transport through Quantum Tunneling. Since Quantum Tunneling is based on probabilities, then the only thing preventing larger objects from tunneling from one place in the Universe to another is the very small probability that all the subatomic particles making up that object will to decide tunnel simultaneously to the same location, all at once. In other words, since I'm made entirely of subatomic particles, all of which are subject to the rules of quantum mechanics, there is a non-zero probability that I will spontaneously disappear and reappear somewhere else in the Universe. That probability, however, for all practical purposes, is zero. It would be like every single subatomic particle in my body getting lucky and winning the lottery all at the same time. It's possible, but it's just not very likely to happen.
So all we need to do is to figure out how to rig the quantum lottery.
The good news is that we are learning how to affect the outcomes of many quantum events. Amazingly, simply arranging things so that, for instance, a photon can be observed to take one path or another after passing through a splitter, we are able to affect the path the photon decides to take, or whether it decides to exhibit wave-like or particle-like properties. Other experiments have shown that we can similarly manipulate the outcome of tunneling events for many particles, particularly electrons. The ultimate goal, then, is to be able to command subatomic particles to tunnel at will. If we could do this, and if we could do this on a large enough scale, then we could command enough subatomic particles to transport objects, people, space ships, or even entire planets. All it takes is rigging the quantum lottery so that all the particles in the object we want to transport get lucky and win the lottery on a quantum level all at the same time.
So instead of killing yourself in a meat grinder only to have a copy of yourself assume your identity somewhere else, you would simply disappear and then reappear at a remote location. It doesn't get much better than that.
So all we need to do is to figure out how to rig the quantum lottery.
The good news is that we are learning how to affect the outcomes of many quantum events. Amazingly, simply arranging things so that, for instance, a photon can be observed to take one path or another after passing through a splitter, we are able to affect the path the photon decides to take, or whether it decides to exhibit wave-like or particle-like properties. Other experiments have shown that we can similarly manipulate the outcome of tunneling events for many particles, particularly electrons. The ultimate goal, then, is to be able to command subatomic particles to tunnel at will. If we could do this, and if we could do this on a large enough scale, then we could command enough subatomic particles to transport objects, people, space ships, or even entire planets. All it takes is rigging the quantum lottery so that all the particles in the object we want to transport get lucky and win the lottery on a quantum level all at the same time.
So instead of killing yourself in a meat grinder only to have a copy of yourself assume your identity somewhere else, you would simply disappear and then reappear at a remote location. It doesn't get much better than that.
Earl's Science Essay: How to Transport Matter Better Than They Do on TV, and Stuff
