Einstein's theory of relativity passes modern-day test
Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 8:18 pm
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2576729
"The team's technique invoked a strange-but-true phenomenon of quantum mechanics: that an atom can be excited into two states at the same time.
In one of the states, the atom was "pushed" by laser pulse one-tenth of a millimeter, giving it a minute boost away from Earth's gravitational field. In the other, it remained unmoved.
A split-second later, a second laser flash sent the high-flying atoms downwards, and the stationary ones upward. The two states were then reconstituted in a single atom by a third laser pulse."
"The team's technique invoked a strange-but-true phenomenon of quantum mechanics: that an atom can be excited into two states at the same time.
In one of the states, the atom was "pushed" by laser pulse one-tenth of a millimeter, giving it a minute boost away from Earth's gravitational field. In the other, it remained unmoved.
A split-second later, a second laser flash sent the high-flying atoms downwards, and the stationary ones upward. The two states were then reconstituted in a single atom by a third laser pulse."