?Anyone who is not shocked by the quantum theory has not understood it? - Niels Bohr.
It has been nearly a century since Max Planck proposed that electromagnetic radiation comes in tidy bundles of energy called quanta. Building on this seemingly fragile supposition, scientists erected what is by far the most successful theory in the history. In addition to yielding theories for all the fundamental forces of nature (except gravity), quantum mechanics has accounted for such disparate phenomena as the shining of stars and the order of the periodic table. From it have sprung technologies ranging from nuclear reactors to lasers.
Quantum mechanics is a theory which tries to describe, and predict the behavior of physical systems. The theory was originally designed to make predictions about the behavior of sub-microscopic systems, like atoms and electrons, but since even large-scale systems are composed of atoms, quantum mechanics necessarily comprises a fundamental physical theory--a theory which attempts (at least in principle) to offer as complete an account as can be had of the nature and behavior of physical systems. Herein I try to briefly investigate what are the presumptions of an essentially scientific theory and how does the Quantum Theory fit into them and what are the glitches therein.
Science implies knowledge collected by following certain rules, and presented in a certain way. Scientists believe in the existence of an external reality. Scientists therefore look for external proof; they study those aspects of knowledge where there can be serious agreement. And that knowledge they group under laws, which are invariable relations and regularities. A law is an invariable relationship universally accepted in the relevant scientific community. A scientific theory is more open to doubt and refutation as against hypothesis which is tentative. .
Laws do not provide explanations; they simple state the relationship between the relevant variables.
Quantum Mechanics is both very intriguing and very confusing. ... Quantum mechanics is the study of the radioactivity and physics of atoms. ... There are many things that quantum mechanics can explain that classical mechanics cannot. ... In this way quantum mechanics explains something that classical mechanics never could. ... Quantum mechanics have helped society in an enormous way. ...
An open quantum system is much more realistic than a closed quantum system, which is isolated from the environment, because it is almost impossible to completely isolate a quantum system from its surrounding environment. Furthermore, open quantum systems are of paramount importance in quantum information, quantum computing, and cavity optomechanics, among other fields, because interaction between a quantum system and the surrounding environment causes decoherence in the quantum system, and a consequent loss of the system's quantum properties, thus rendering the system unusable in quantu...
In order to understand the prominent parallels between Eastern mysticism and modern physics, the Quantum theory will be described first. Quantum mechanics is the study of the motion of quantities or quanta which represent the bits and pieces of nature. ... According to Capra, another important aspect of Quantum theory is the fact that matter is always in motion. ... Quantum theory contains this notion of interconnectedness through the process of observation. ... As it was noted above, in Quantum mechanics the universe is experienced as an inseparable whole which always includes the observe...
He created a model of atomic structure and established the foundations of quantum mechanics for which he received the Nobel Prize on December 10, 1922. ... This Institute was named after Bohr, and the department became a world leading center of quantum mechanics. ... There are two significant works that Niels Bohr contributed to the world, atomic model and quantum mechanics theory. ... The three of them were regarded as the founders of quantum mechanics. ... Bohr's quantum theory was opposite the classical mathematical thinking, and Bohr insisted energy inconsistency, and he used matrix...
The energy associated with these quantum jumps explained the lines seen in the spectra of different elements. ... Here is where he developed his new ideas, and his new theory became the basis of the branch of modern physics known as quantum mechanics. ... He provided so much of the stimulus for the development of ideas in quantum mechanics that the standard interpretation of quantum mechanics, which was developed by Bohr and others in the 1920s, became known as the "Copenhagen interpretation." This interpretation became the accepted explanation of quantum mechanics, and it was not seriously...
While still in his early twenties, he was among the handful of bright, young men who created quantum mechanics, the basic physics of the atom, and he became a leader of nuclear physics and elementary particle research. He is best known for his uncertainty principle, a component of the so-called Copenhagen interpretation of the meaning, and uses of quantum mechanics. ... These papers thrust Heisenberg at the ripe age of twenty to the forefront of quantum atomic physics research. ... Sommerfeld was the first of many men to influence Heisenberg and his research of quantum mechanics. During ...
While still in his early twenties, he was among the handful of bright, young men who created quantum mechanics, the basic physics of the atom, and he became a leader of nuclear physics and elementary particle research. He is best known for his uncertainty principle, a component of the so-called Copenhagen interpretation of the meaning, and uses of quantum mechanics. ... These papers thrust Heisenberg at the ripe age of twenty to the forefront of quantum atomic physics research. ... Sommerfeld was the first of many men to influence Heisenberg and his research of quantum mechanics. During tha...