NOVA requests funding from the Templeton Foundation in support of a 1-hour documentary program, The Age of Entanglement (working title), on the latest advances in our understanding of entanglement, a bizarre feature of quantum mechanics that says under the right circumstances, objects can be connected in ways that seem to defy space and time. For decades, physicists have devised experiments to verify the existence of entanglement, yet several key loopholes have persisted, allowing skeptics to offer alternative explanations. But now, a daring experiment may finally prove that something Einstein dismissed as “spooky action at a distance” is truly built into the physical laws of our universe. The implications are enormous. Some theorists believe entanglement may be the key to a single, unified theory of physics. And in labs today, scientists are putting their understanding of the quantum realm to use by building computers and secure data encryption technologies.
The Age of Entanglement is the kind of complex science story that NOVA excels at bringing to life with clear explanations, clever analogies, and beautiful visuals. The project in its entirety consists of a one-hour documentary program to be nationally broadcast on PBS, original digital reporting, and a collection of educator resources for use in physics high school classrooms. Templeton support would be applied solely to the documentary film, freeing up additional resources from NOVA series funding to support creation of the digital and educational content. Between these varied elements designed for different, yet complementary audiences, the project will entertain and educate millions eager to know the strange and beautiful workings of the universe––and marvel at our ability to figure it out.
