Is time an illusion?

Einstein baffles us asserting "time" is not running at the same rate everywhere. Einstein mathematics show that the time given by a clock depends on that clock relative motion with respect to an observer. This phenomenon called "time dilation" amounts to the alteration of "time" with motion. There is also gravity-time-dilation. Einstein's prediction made in the early 20th century has been verified experimentally by Hafele and Keating in 1971 and confirmed over and over since. The experiments consisted of identical atomic clocks, some flying in planes around the globe and a reference clock left on the ground playing the role of the observer; the time differences coincided precisely to Einstein's calculations!

Is Teleportation possible?

A team of international researchers have successfully teleported a quantum bit (qubit) over a record distance of 143 kilometers (89 miles), between the Canary Islands of La Palma and Tenerife. This distance is significant, as it is roughly the same distance to low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites — meaning it is now theoretically possible to build a satellite-based quantum communication network.

Now, before you get too excited, quantum teleportation isn’t the same as the teleporters found in Star Trek or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but the concept is similar. Basically, the scientists entangled some photons in La Palma, and then used a high-powered laser to fire one of those photons across the sea to a receiving station in Tenerife. Then, when the quantum state of one photon is altered, the quantum state of the second photon — despite being 90 miles away — is immediately altered, faster than the speed of light, without even the smallest of delays. In essence, we’re talking about quantum stateteleportation — rather than the teleportation of actual matter.

La Palma and Tenerife are two island located in Spain.

In the long term, though, a quantum network could form the backbone of an internet populated by quantum computers. In theory, each quantum processor/computer connected to the quantum network could be instantly linked to every other computer via an entangled pair of photons.

The next step, then, is to launch a satellite capable of sending and receiving teleported qubits. This is no easy task, and probably unlikely to happen for at least a few years. We’re moving quickly, though: Just two years ago, the record distance for quantum teleportation was 16km, set by a Chinese research team. Earlier this year, they broke their own record and teleported photons over 97km — and now, a few months later, we’re at 143km.