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ICP News
Date: 04-11-2022
Public Lecture: Quantum Entanglement and the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics
On November 2, 2022, the Institute of Mathematics, the Vietnam Physical Society, the Institute of Physics, and the Center for Information and Documentation jointly organized a public lecture titled “Quantum Entanglement and the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics.” The event attracted scientists, graduate students, university students, and science enthusiasts, who participated both in person and online.
Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Ai Viet from Vietnam National University, Hanoi delivered a lecture titled “The Theoretical and Practical Significance of the Experimental Verification of Quantum Nonlocality.” According to Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Ai Viet, to this day, debates on the foundations of quantum mechanics continue to yield new insights and practical consequences. One of the core concepts in classical physics—locality and the propagation of interactions in space-time—has become difficult to reconcile within the frameworks of both relativity theory and quantum mechanics. To address this issue, modern physics has taken two directions: on one hand, aiming to complete quantum mechanics using hidden variables, and on the other, embracing the nonlocal nature of quantum mechanics. Experimental tests of quantum nonlocality are pivotal in determining the foundations of a new world system. Experiments on quantum nonlocality were initiated by John Clauser in the 1960s, refined and corrected for loopholes by Alain Aspect in the 1980s, and applied to quantum communication by Anton Zeilinger, laying the groundwork for the rapid development of quantum information science. The 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics recognized and confirmed quantum nonlocality through these groundbreaking experimental results.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen ba An from the Institute of Mathematics and Applied Sciences, Thang Long University, presented a lecture titled “On Bell’s Inequality.” The Bell inequality, introduced by John Bell in 1964, is considered one of the most profound discoveries in science. It allowed the resolution of the 30-year debate between Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr. The 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Alain Aspect, John Clauser, and Anton Zeilinger for their experiments that confirmed violations of Bell’s inequality. Dr. Nguyen ba An’s lecture focused on deriving Bell’s inequality and its far-reaching implications, after briefly discussing key concepts such as quantum bits (qubits), quantum entanglement, the EPR paradox, local realism, and hidden variable theories.
Dr. Nguyen quoc Hung from Vietnam National University, Hanoi, delivered a lecture titled “Three Experiments on Polarized Light Leading to the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics.” According to Dr. Nguyễn Quốc Hưng, the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to the authors of three experiments that confirmed the existence of quantum entanglement and quantum nonlocality. In 1972, John Clauser used a pair of polarized light photons emitted simultaneously from calcium atoms to observe their nonlocal correlations. In 1982, Alain Aspect repeated the experiment but introduced random measurements to eliminate possible hidden mechanisms. However, due to the small size of the measurement system, local explanations could not be entirely ruled out. In the 1990s, Anton Zeilinger conducted similar experiments over distances of several kilometers to confirm that the correlations in polarized light were indeed nonlocal. This progression of increasingly precise experiments—aimed at closing all possible loopholes, even those stemming from unknown mechanisms—is part of the natural evolution of physics. Even if quantum physics is eventually replaced by a better theory in the future, such a theory must still be able to explain quantum entanglement and nonlocality as experimentally confirmed phenomena.
Over the past period, the Institute of Mathematics, the Vietnam Physical Society, the Institute of Physics, and the Information and Documentation Center have jointly organized numerous public lectures on various topics. This initiative aims to enhance science communication and spread the love for science and technology to the public—especially among young people passionate about scientific research.