Anyone who is not shocked by quantum theory has not understood it.

93 Pages·2013·5.49 MB·English

by  Phil Rubin

"Anyone who is not shocked by quantum theory
has not understood it."—Niels Bohr
“I think I can safely say that nobody understands
quantum mechanics."—Richard Feynman
Inside the Quantum World
Science's most precise and influential tool
Particles and waves, and their interactions and
interrelationships
Atoms, molecules and material structure
Atomic, nuclear, particle, and condensed matter
physics, chemistry, biology, information and
communication technology...
Quantum Theory or Science
(“Quantum Mechanics” is Imprecise)
Probably the most successful of all scientific
●
theories (in terms of the accuracy and breadth
of its predictions, and its impact)
– Calculations of the fine structure constant, α,
within the context of quantum electrodynamics,
agree with experiment to 0.32 parts per billion
– Applications: transistor, laser, semiconductors,
integrated circuits, diagnostics, optical
communications, clocks, computers....
Fluorescing Ions in a Linear Trap
Thirty-two ions, fluorescing under illumination by laser
light in an electrodynamic trap

Annenberg Foundation 2013. All rights reserved.
Ultra-Cold Atoms Trapped in
Standing Light Waves
Neutral rubidium atoms in an optical lattice trap

Annenberg Foundation 2013. All rights reserved.
Newton Wasn't Perfect
Didn't know high speeds or really small objects
●
The Calculus is premised on continuous
●
distributions
On the microscopic level, nature is
●
– quantized: separated into discrete quantities
But he did claim that light was composed of
particles...

Newton's Particle Theory of Light
Little particles, so tiny they (intersecting
●
beams, for example) don't scatter one another
Obey the same laws of physics as all other
●
objects