An experiment involving 37 measurements revealed that quantum physics is stranger than previously thought.

Physicists have created particles of light that effectively exist in 37 dimensions simultaneously to test an extreme version of a quantum paradox. According to the researchers, this experiment demonstrated that quantum physics is significantly more different from classical physics than many had previously thought. The study is published in the journal Science Advances, reports New Scientist.

The authors of the study focused on the Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) paradox, which illustrates that quantum particles can remain entangled over large distances. In its simplest form, the paradox involves three particles linked through quantum entanglement, a special connection that allows observers to learn something about one particle by interacting with the other two.

Past experiments have shown that a scenario in which particles can only influence each other when in close proximity—meaning quantum entanglement is prohibited—leads to mathematical impossibilities. Essentially, the paradox can be expressed through a calculation that results in the equality of 1 and -1, which cannot be true. In the 1990s, physicists realized that the only way to avoid such impossibilities was to accept that particles can engage in quantum entanglement.

The researchers aimed to create the most extreme version of this paradox to date. Specifically, they sought to find states of photons or particles of light whose behavior in the GHZ experiment would differ the most from that of classical physics particles.

Calculations indicated that photons should exist in quantum states as complex as if they were inhabiting 37 dimensions. Just as your current state can be defined using three spatial dimensions and one time dimension, determining the state of each photon requires the use of 37 such dimensions.

The physicists tested this idea by translating the multidimensional version of the GHZ paradox into a series of pulses of very coherent light, which is light that is extremely uniform in color and wavelength, and which the scientists could then manipulate.

According to the physicists, the state encoded in the light and its measurements are governed by the same mathematics underlying quantum physics. Thus, the experiment can produce some of the most non-classical effects in the quantum realm. This type of quantum modeling is technically extremely complex and requires very stable and finely calibrated devices.

Scientists say that the results of the experiment may still be relevant even 100 years from now. In addition to exploring the limits of quantum behavior, this new work may also have implications for how quantum states of light and atoms are used for processing information, such as in quantum computing.