Chinese scientists are expected to uncover the underlying mechanism of quantum coherent entanglement

What is it about?

Quantum entanglement, as described in the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) paradox, is often referred to as "spooky actions at a distance." Introduced in 1935, it traditionally concerns the superposition states of energy eigenvalue states in quantum mechanics. The term “action at a distance” highlights the strong correlation and interdependent causality between two entangled parts, A and B, regardless of the distance that separates them once their entangled states are split. Essentially, one part (A or B) can instantly respond to changes occurring in the other part (B or A), adapting or self-organizing to maintain its unchanged entangled state. This intelligence-like behavior appears counterintuitive for non-living photons, particles or materials, and has puzzled the scientific community for the past 90 years. A group of researchers led by Mr. Leilei Shi from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China, claimed that they have revealed the underlying mechanism of quantum coherent entanglement in complex quantum many-body systems. The study bridges interdisciplinary fields including quantum science, financial theory, and complexity. The research paper entitled “Interaction Wave Functions for Interaction-Based Coherence and Entanglement in Complex Adaptive Systems” was online available in the International Journal of Theoretical Physics, a Springer Nature journal ( https://link.springer.com/journal/10773 ), on November 17, 2025. The full paper will can be downloaded at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10773-025-06172-6

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Photo by Javardh on Unsplash

Photo by Javardh on Unsplash

Why is it important?

In 1991, Zou, Wang, and Mandel examined quantum coherent entanglement through optical interference (Physical Review Letters, 67(3), 318-321 (1991); Physical Review A, 44(7), 4614-4622 (1991)), the ZWM experiments. A series of experiments on induced coherence in optical interference led to the conclusion that the eigenstates of two particles cannot be expressed as a product of their individual states, which are known as entangled states. The significance of these experiments lies in their thorough verification of the overall conservation law of physical observables. These findings were featured in the Quantum Foundations Collection for the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, published by the American Physical Society (Physical Review Letters, 134 (3), 150001 (2025)). It is available at https://promo.aps.org/quantum-foundation-collection. Quantum entanglement has become a vital resource in quantum information technology. Subsequent research has shown a mutual relationship between coherence and entanglement, demonstrating a connection between the two intriguing phenomena. However, understanding many-body coherent entanglement remains challenging, especially given that the underlying mechanism of the EPR paradox, proposed initially in 1935, has yet to be resolved. In nonlocal quantum many-body systems, traditional concepts like position, velocity, and acceleration are not effective variables. The authors introduced new physical concepts: density momentum, density force, and density energy from a holistic complexity perspective. They derived mathematical expressions that illustrate the relationship between density energy, interaction energy, and linear potential. By utilizing the Hamilton-Jacobi equation initially employed by Schrödinger, they derived the nonlocal quantum many-body wave equation and established a new theoretical framework. The researchers identify two distinct pure states for complex quantum many-body systems: independent energy states and interaction-coherent states. The pure interaction-coherent entangled states provide insight into non-Gaussian distributions in complex quantum entanglement, exemplifying complex adaptive systems (CAS). The interaction eigenvalues in interaction wave functions justify a strong correlation between the repulsive density force (one variable) and attractive restoring force (the other variable) through bipartite distributions, frequencies, or colors in an entangled state. For instance, when an interaction-coherent entangled state is split, any change in the color or frequency of one part will induce a corresponding change in the other part's color or frequency. This adjustment occurs, because of the conservation of interactions across the entire system, regardless of the distance between the entangled parts, where distance is not a sensitive variable for particles.

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