Today at work we had an amazing talk I almost think I kind of understood. It was by an MIT Professor by the name of Jeffrey Shapiro on research being done by the Research Laboratory of Electronics @ MIT. It offered a ~5 side explanation of quantum mechanics. The rest focused on varying degrees of practical applications. Most of this was on quantum cryptography and how you actually build a world wide, internet compatible quantum encryption key exchange system. I have been wondering for a while how you make that work in reality, and now I have some idea. Crazy!
The final application was for an idealized quantum laser radar. Instead of a idealized traditional laser radar where you send out a light beam and read a return signal indicating a target or not, you instead entangle the transmit beam with a beam that you keep. According to his math, cause hell if I really know whats going on, you get additional detection capabilities when you do this — by measuring the return signal with the kept entangled transmit beam. These benefits come despite that the return signal you receive is so drowned out in noise and losses that it is no longer entangled [1]. At which point the theory of why you should get improved results breaks down. He has no idea why the math still shows that you get better results. Sounds like pretty exciting stuff if you ask me.
1 He said so. 2008. Jeffrey Shapiro.