Jun 3, 2026 11:19 PM
(This post was last modified: Jun 3, 2026 11:24 PM by Magical Realist.)
Yes...you heard it here first. Theoretical physics has finally co-opted the term "Magic" to describe a physical phenomenon. Which correlates well with my own definition of Science: "Science is just magic that we've gotten used to."
https://www.quantamagazine.org/entanglem...-20260603/
"Einstein and Wheeler thought of space-time as a large, featureless fabric existing with fixed bends and folds — a typical classical object. But now physicists are learning that the two defining features of quantum mechanics, entanglement and magic, correspond to the two defining features of space, its shape and its flexibility. This suggests that space itself is one of the most quantum things imaginable. “All the familiar aspects of gravity are actually a very direct manifestation of something quantum,” Swingle said.
It also suggests that gravity results from imperfect quantum encoding. Non-magical codes produce inert, gravity-free spaces because they protect their encoded information perfectly. Cao and collaborators have shown that gravity comes from the mixing of the encoded information. So by necessity, the encoding must be approximate, and therefore some aspects of what’s going on in the space-time can’t be perfectly recovered by measuring a subset of the quantum particles in the usual way. This approximation, which would indicate a poorly written code for a quantum computer, is “the reason Newton’s apple fell on him,” Czech said.
Cao, for his part, finds the feature appealing. Quantum error correction and quantum computing are human pursuits, he said. He sees no reason that gravity should accommodate our prejudice for perfection..."
https://www.quantamagazine.org/entanglem...-20260603/
"Einstein and Wheeler thought of space-time as a large, featureless fabric existing with fixed bends and folds — a typical classical object. But now physicists are learning that the two defining features of quantum mechanics, entanglement and magic, correspond to the two defining features of space, its shape and its flexibility. This suggests that space itself is one of the most quantum things imaginable. “All the familiar aspects of gravity are actually a very direct manifestation of something quantum,” Swingle said.
It also suggests that gravity results from imperfect quantum encoding. Non-magical codes produce inert, gravity-free spaces because they protect their encoded information perfectly. Cao and collaborators have shown that gravity comes from the mixing of the encoded information. So by necessity, the encoding must be approximate, and therefore some aspects of what’s going on in the space-time can’t be perfectly recovered by measuring a subset of the quantum particles in the usual way. This approximation, which would indicate a poorly written code for a quantum computer, is “the reason Newton’s apple fell on him,” Czech said.
Cao, for his part, finds the feature appealing. Quantum error correction and quantum computing are human pursuits, he said. He sees no reason that gravity should accommodate our prejudice for perfection..."