By Prajwal Niraula
Staff Writer ’15
“My own suspicion is that the universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose.” This saying of J.B.S. Haldane, a renowned biologist, manifests most beautifully in the quantum world. The quantum world is one of those places where classical notions are broken and revolutionary ideas overrule and ,most importantly, there is no stepping back.
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Max Planck sowed the first seeds of quantum theory with his theory of radiation. His theory implied that light that we receive from our lamps is not a continuous flow but rather consists of large numbers of discrete particles, today known as photons. It was for Einstein to further apply this idea to a phenomenon called photoelectric effect, which ultimately won him the Nobel Prize in 1921. Despite its success, quantum theory faced opposition. Many scientists in early twentieth century were very reluctant to accept photon as real. The apparent reason was that light as an electromagnetic wave had been established from its property of diffraction and interference beyond doubt. A photon, which implies light consists of small discrete particles not waves, went against this notion.
But physicists would have to learn to live with this paradox, which instead of resolving itself, expanded its frontier to electrons and all the objects in the world. In fact, this idea was awarded some of the most prestigious prizes. In 1906, J. J. Thompson received Nobel Prize for discovering electron as particle that carries electricity in gases. Thirty one years later, his son, G.P. Thompson, received the same accolade for discovering electrons behaved like waves. Thus, the paradox became one of the most important tenets of quantum theory. However, the paradoxical nature of quantum was far from over.
The most famous experiment in quantum is a double slit experiment, a set up where a quantum particle is made to pass either through two small holes before being registered by detector. To interpret thus obtained results, Niels Bohr, perhaps the best champion of Quantum Physics, often said,”You create a reality simply by observing it.” If one measures the wave property, a photon behaves like a wave and if you determine the particle like property, it acts like a particle. This aspect of reality as stated in Quantum Physics is still widely debated among physicists even today.
For those who look in their horoscopes daily, quantum physics suggests to stop doing so. It is impossible to accurately know everything about the future dictates quantum theory. The famous Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle is mathematical equivalency of this idea. Consequently, quantum physics establishes the concept of ‘free will’ in our universe against ‘determinism’. Quantum theory would not exactly deny the existence of God. However, if there is God, the theory requires him to roll dice before determining result of any event.
Many may think quantum physics is limited to its fanciful theory while having no practical application. Nothing could be far from truth. The electronic revolution which ultimately has given birth to fast and sleek tablets, mobiles, and computer is due to quantum physics. Besides, some of the best miracles of science like superfluidity and superconductivity are offspring of quantum. To realize how marvelous an application of quantum theory can be, one has to observe the motion of a quantum mechanically levitated object moving continuously over a superconductor.
Quantum theory is perhaps the most successful theory in physics. However, it is not without problems. This theory is not completely consistent with Einstein’s theory of Relativity, the other tower of physics under which many physicists still live today. To resolve this contradiction has become the most important task of physics today, the out product of which is expected to give even weirder theory. Therefore, do not say quantum physics is ‘the most bizarre theory’. Save those words for the future!
