Quantum Entanglement and Radioactivity: A New Perspective on Nuclear Decay

DR ASJAD IQBAL BLOGS

Dr Asjad Iqbal

6/19/20251 min read

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Experimental Evidence for Entanglement:

Despite early skepticism, experimental validation in the latter half of the 20th century turned the tide. Notably, the groundbreaking experiments of Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser, and Anton Zeilinger provided compelling evidence in support of entanglement, culminating in their joint receipt of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics.

A New Frontier in Nuclear Physics:

While entanglement is now widely accepted and experimentally confirmed, its implications for nuclear processes such as radioactivity remain largely unexplored. To date, no mainstream theory has proposed that quantum entanglement might be responsible for the specific and consistent half-lives of radioactive isotopes. Yet, the idea that nuclei might somehow "know" how many similar particles exist-decaying in such a way that on average, half decay per unit time-echoes the type of systemic coordination that entanglement could, in principle, support.

Conclusion:

This line of inquiry invites further exploration at the intersection of quantum information theory and nuclear physics. If entanglement plays a role in governing nuclear decay, it could redefine our understanding of randomness, determinism, and the very fabric of physical law.

As someone who has studied Nuclear Science and Engineering at both MIT and Columbia University, I believe that investigating this possibility could open new doors in our understanding of quantum systems and the fundamental nature of decay processes.