Quantum Entanglement
Correlations without communication — what Bell tests established and what they did not.
What Is Quantum Teleportation?
IntermediateQuantum communication6 min read
By QuantumO Editorial · Scientific reviewer: not yet assigned · Published · Updated
In short
Quantum teleportation transfers a quantum state from one location to another using shared entanglement and two classical bits. Nothing physical travels and nothing outruns light, because the classical message is required. The original state is destroyed in the process, consistent with the no-cloning theorem.
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Visit the channelThe three steps
First, the two parties share an entangled pair. Second, the sender performs a joint measurement on the state to be transferred and their half of the pair, obtaining two classical bits. Third, the sender transmits those bits over an ordinary channel, and the receiver applies a corresponding correction.
The receiver's qubit then holds the original state. The sender's copy is gone.
Why the name misleads
No matter moves. The protocol is a way of moving a state using pre-shared entanglement plus classical communication, and it is a core building block for quantum networks and for moving states inside future processors.
Common misconceptions
- Claim: Teleportation moves objects or beats the speed of light.
- More accurately: It moves a quantum state and requires a classical message, which travels no faster than light.
Important terminology
- Quantum teleportation
- Quantum teleportation is a protocol that transfers a quantum state from one location to another using shared entanglement and two classical bits.
- Entanglement
- Entanglement is a link between quantum systems such that the whole system has a definite description while its individual parts do not.
- Measurement
- Measurement is the process that extracts a definite classical outcome from a quantum system, with probabilities set by its amplitudes.
Frequently asked questions
- What is quantum teleportation?
- A protocol that transfers a quantum state between locations using shared entanglement and two classical bits, destroying the original state.
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Sources and further reading
- Quantum information science overview — NIST
- The Nobel Prize in Physics 2022 — scientific background on Bell tests — The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
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