Spooky Action Is Universal: Quantum Entanglement Found to Obey One Law Across All Dimensions
For the first time, scientists have demonstrated that quantum entanglement obeys universal laws across all dimensions—from simple one-dimensional systems to complex multidimensional spaces. The study has been published in Physical Review Letters.
The team of theorists, comprising researchers from Kyushu University, the California Institute of Technology, and the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe at the University of Tokyo, employed a framework known as the theory of thermal efficiency—a method borrowed from particle physics. This approach enables the behavior of intricate systems to be described using only a handful of key parameters. Applied for the first time to quantum information theory, it revealed that entanglement behaves according to universal principles even in higher-dimensional spaces.
Quantum entanglement is a unique form of correlation between particles, wherein a change in the state of one particle instantaneously affects the other, regardless of the distance between them. This phenomenon underpins technologies such as quantum computing and secure communication, and plays a vital role in theoretical inquiries, including those concerning the nature of black holes.
To quantify entanglement, physicists rely on a measure known as Rényi entropy—a value that assesses the complexity of quantum states and the distribution of information. Until now, such calculations had been largely limited to (1+1)-dimensional spaces—systems with one spatial and one temporal coordinate. Analyzing higher-dimensional systems posed considerable challenges, with only a few methods capable of addressing them.
It is here that the theory of thermal efficiency proved its worth. Researchers demonstrated that the behavior of Rényi entropy at small values of a parameter called the replica number can be determined by only a few quantities—such as the Casimir energy. This breakthrough enabled the analysis of the entanglement spectrum—a set of values that describes the degree of interconnection between subsystems—even in regions where such computations were previously deemed intractable.
The authors emphasize that their findings are applicable not only in low-dimensional cases but across arbitrary multidimensional spaces. This opens the door to a deeper understanding of the structure of quantum entanglement and may influence the advancement of both fundamental research and practical technologies.
In the long term, such theoretical progress could pave the way for novel approaches to modeling many-body quantum systems, devising new classifications of entangled states, and even inching closer to unraveling the mysteries of quantum gravity.
