As we mark the 100th anniversary of quantum mechanics and recognize World Quantum Day on April 14, it’s the perfect moment to spotlight Oregon State’s connection to this revolutionary science. Carl Kocher, now professor emeritus of physics, conducted the world’s first experimental observation of quantum entanglement in the 1960s — work that helped lay the foundation for decades of breakthroughs in quantum research.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Kocher and John Clauser — who would go on to share the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics — found themselves exploring bold new territory in physics. Much like Thomas Young in the early 1800s, who faced skepticism for proposing the wave nature of light, Kocher and Clauser challenged prevailing assumptions with experiments to test quantum entanglement. Their ideas initially met with resistance, reflecting a broader scientific community still coming to terms with quantum mechanics.
