We have found a new paradox in quantum mechanics — one of our two most fundamental scientific theories, together with Einstein's theory of relativity — that throws doubt on some common-sense ideas about physical reality.
Quantum mechanics vs. common sense Take a look at these three statements:
* When someone observes an event happening, it really happened. * It is possible to make free choices, or at least, statistically random choices. * A choice made in one place can’t instantly affect a distant event. (Physicists call this “locality”.)
These are all intuitive ideas, and widely believed even by physicists. But our research, published in Nature Physics, shows they cannot all be true — or quantum mechanics itself must break down at some level.
This is the strongest result yet in a long series of discoveries in quantum mechanics that have upended our ideas about reality. To understand why it's so important, let's look at this history.
