Teleportation: Just a Sci-Fi trick or a real fact?

“It is difficult to say what is impossible; for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow.” —Robert H. Goddard

These words overwhelm me with hope and optimism about our marvellous scientific—at least—future. I guess we all remember the  e p i c  Star Trek and its famous  e p i c  teleportation—“Beam me up, Scotty” that we’ll NEVER forget. Well, one day I would like to be beamed up too.

I hope you’d like it too?!

So about teleportation, do I have your attention?

Well, let’s see some tremendous scientific facts that have happened the last few years! Recent studies prove that teleportation isn’t just a bizarre, fake travel method used by science fiction novels, movies and series.

And…Yes. You heard right!

What exactly is Teleportation?

I made my own research about this complicated topic that really got me confused so much…at first. Eventually, as a sci-fi—and a science—nerd I really tried a lot to understand this information. In the following paragraphs I am going to present you the facts, in a way I understood them and kept them in my mind.

Teleportation: It’s actually a true method that has started being developed the last few years. Its potentials are being studied thoroughly by NASA’s laboratories and teleportation experiments have been conducted in order to show the infinite possibilities.

According to NASA, “the basic premise of teleportation is sound.” In Boulder, Colorado, the scientists of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have managed to successfully teleport quantum information, by using the principle of quantum entanglement. This experiment confirmed that quantum communication is feasible over long distances in fiber.

However, unfortunately for me and you, we should not be confused with Star Trek’s fictional “beaming up” of people. Despite how much we love this beaming up, to be honest, practically the actual scientific teleportation is the transfer of information relating to a photon across large distances.

This means the transfer of information encoded in quantum states of matter or light. It is useful in both quantum communications and quantum computing, which offer prospects for novel capabilities such as unbreakable encryption and advanced code-breaking, respectively.

What changed in this method and the experiment succeed?

Until recently, researchers were thinking quantum repeaters might need to rely on atoms or other matter, instead of light in this experiment. The result? So much quantum data was lost in fiber that transmission rates and distances were low!

The scientists of the NIST made their “magic tricks”. They succeeded the project by using new advanced single-photon detectors that designed and made by themselves.

Thanks to them, various quantum states can be used to carry information. These brand new detectors can record more than 80% of arriving photons, revealing whether they are in the same or different time slots each just 1 nanosecond long.

In proper English this means incredibly huge speed! The experiments are really useful in telecommunications.

There is 83% success in this experiment, now. Although it is too soon for “beaming up”, fortunately some technology experts believe teleportation could eventually lead to the production of lightning fast quantum computers. Super speed, advanced and quality communication.

How awesome would that be?!

So what about Star Trek’s beaming up?

We could say that there is no evidence—at least not yet, I’d say!—to show that we will be able to teleport human beings. As you may understand this is a concept that remains—for now, I’d say again, while hoping and crying a little—pure science fiction.

Of course it is pretty well designed, set and presented in every science fiction movies, series (thank you Star Trek you are the ultimate-sci-fi-all-time-treasure!).

Let’s hope though, that one day except Teleportation, Faster Than Light Travel, highly important classified remarkable scientific projects that already exist in cinema and space opera novels, will come true and fascinate all of us!

So let’s see, my friends, what’s next?

I would like to close this article with a smile in my face—and I hope in yours too—by remembering the words of a huge brilliant mind and a terrible loss in this human world. And remember guys, logic is necessary, but we couldn’t make it in this world without passion and a pinch of romance.

“Science is not only a discipline of reason but, also, one of romance and passion.” -Stephen Hawking

Written by J.S. Flynn