In 2005, a student working in the fluid physicist Yves Couder’s laboratory in Paris discovered by chance that tiny oil droplets bounced when plopped onto the surface of a vibrating oil bath. Moreover, as the droplets bounced, they started to bunny-hop around the liquid’s surface. Couder soon figured out that the droplets were “surfing on their own wave,” as he put it — kicking up the wave as they bounced and then getting propelled around by the slanted contours of the wave.
...
Improbably, the person who put the irreparable crack in de Broglie’s idea is Niels Bohr’s grandson, the fluid physicist Tomas Bohr. A professor at the Technical University of Denmark who, as a child, enjoyed puzzling over riddles posed by his grandfather, Tomas Bohr heard about Couder’s bouncing-droplet experiments seven years ago and was immediately intrigued. “I felt a genuine interest in trying to see whether you could really get a deterministic quantum mechanics,” he said about his decision to enter the fray. Given his family history, he added, “maybe I also felt some obligation. I felt I should really try to see if it was true or not.”
jedishrfu said:not as much as the Rock Hudson version of 1963
Vanadium 50 said:Do you mean the Rod Taylor version of 1960, direceted by George Pal? Or did Rock Hudson make a third version?
In fairness the latter part of the article says exactly this. As far as the headline or jist of the article being misleading (or otherwise wrong), however, I can't say.vanhees71 said:It doesn't have the non-local structure of Bohmian mechanics, which is for non-relativistic QT equivalent to minimally interpreted QT (by construction). The Quanta Magazine is in general of some entertaining quality, but it seems not to be a reliable source on science. It's not too bad science journalism but not more!
Pilot-wave theory is a theoretical interpretation of quantum mechanics that posits the existence of a "pilot wave" that guides the behavior of particles at the quantum level. This theory was first proposed by Louis de Broglie in the 1920s and has been further developed by physicists such as David Bohm.
Recently, a new study has suggested that the pilot-wave theory, which has long been considered a possible alternative to the widely accepted Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics, may not be a viable explanation for quantum phenomena after all. This means that this particular interpretation of quantum mechanics may no longer be considered a valid scientific theory.
Niels Bohr was a prominent physicist who played a key role in developing the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics. The phrase "cracked by Bohr" refers to the fact that Bohr's ideas and experiments have been instrumental in demonstrating the limitations of pilot-wave theory and calling into question its validity as a scientific explanation for quantum phenomena.
There has been ongoing debate and controversy surrounding pilot-wave theory and its validity as a scientific explanation for quantum phenomena. Some physicists believe that this theory offers a more complete and intuitive understanding of the behavior of particles at the quantum level, while others argue that it is not supported by experimental evidence and is ultimately incompatible with the principles of quantum mechanics.
If pilot-wave theory is ultimately discredited as a scientific explanation for quantum phenomena, it could have significant implications for our understanding of the fundamental nature of reality. It may also lead to new insights and developments in the field of quantum mechanics, as scientists continue to explore and refine our understanding of this complex and mysterious branch of physics.