'Doubly magic' form of oxygen may challenge a fundamental law of physics

[admin]

After scientists created oxygen-28 in the lab, it almost immediately degraded, baffling physicists around the world.

'Doubly magic' form of oxygen may challenge a fundamental law of physics : Read more

 

[Quantibility]

After scientists created oxygen-28 in the lab, it almost immediately degraded, baffling physicists around the world.

'Doubly magic' form of oxygen may challenge a fundamental law of physics : Read more

If one of the processes involved in creating oxygen-28 were to utilize an entangled system while the other necessary ingredient isn't entangled, it would introduce a complex and novel scenario. However, it's important to understand that quantum entanglement doesn't directly impact the macroscopic processes involved in nuclear reactions, but it could have indirect implications. Here's a theoretical discussion:

1. Entangled vs. Non-Entangled: In this scenario, let's imagine that the particles involved in the collision, say fluorine-29 and a hydrogen target, are part of an entangled quantum system, while the subsequent processes that lead to the creation of oxygen-28 are not entangled.
2. Initial Entanglement: When particles are entangled, their quantum states are correlated. Any measurements or changes to one particle's state instantaneously affect the other, even at a distance. In the context of nuclear reactions, this could imply that the collision parameters (e.g., energy, angular momentum) are inherently correlated, which could introduce a level of coordination or coherence to the collision process.
3. Nuclear Reaction: Once the collision occurs and oxygen-28 is formed, it's important to note that nuclear reactions themselves are typically described by classical physics. The behavior of atomic nuclei during and after the reaction is determined by the strong and electromagnetic forces, which are typically not influenced by quantum entanglement at this scale.
4. Indirect Influence: While entanglement might not directly affect the nuclear reaction, it could indirectly influence the characteristics of the resulting oxygen-28. For instance, the entangled collision might lead to specific quantum states of oxygen-28, which could have unique properties. These properties could, in theory, affect its stability or decay characteristics.
5. Experimental Challenges: Implementing such a scenario experimentally would be incredibly challenging due to the delicate nature of quantum entanglement and the complexity of nuclear reactions. Maintaining quantum coherence over macroscopic scales, as required in this case, is extremely difficult.
6. Theoretical Exploration: Theoretical physicists might explore this scenario to see if there are any unexpected quantum effects on the resulting nuclei, but it would likely remain a theoretical concept for the foreseeable future.

In summary, while the concept of introducing quantum entanglement into the process of creating oxygen-28 is intriguing, it would likely have subtle and indirect effects on the resulting nuclei, primarily related to their quantum states. The nuclear reactions themselves would still be governed by classical physics, and experimental implementation would be an enormous challenge. This scenario blurs the boundaries between classical and quantum physics and highlights the intricate interplay between the two at different scales.

this is my conversation about this tech and my idea that was rendered using OpenAI. #themoreyouknow.

 

[Franny Baer]

It should be a safe assumption that any "mega stable" isotope that can be created in the lab, can also occur in nature, even if extremely rare. That O28 is not found should have been a clue it's not stable -- although super unstable is a surprise. Its instability is just one more example why there is no such thing as settled science.

Experimental surprises is what makes research exciting.