Tag Archive for: quantum mechanics
PBS Video Comment: “What If Physics IS NOT Describing Reality”
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PBS Space Time produces some very good videos on the foundations of quantum mechanics (QM), so let me comment on their video What If Physics IS NOT Describing…
Schrödinger’s Cat and the Qbit
The concept of quantum superposition (or superposition for short) is very counterintuitive, as Schr##\ddot{\text{o}}##dinger noted in 1935 writing [1],…
How Quantum Information Theory Solves “the only mystery” of Quantum Mechanics
In Chapter 37 of "The Feynman Lectures on Physics Volume 1," Richard Feynman famously wrote that the mystery of wave-particle duality in the double-slit…
Quantum Physics via Quantum Tomography: A New Approach to Quantum Mechanics
This Insight article presents the main features of a conceptual foundation of quantum physics with the same characteristic features as classical physics…
How Quantum Information Theorists Revealed the Relativity Principle at the Foundation of Quantum Mechanics
This Insight is a condensed version of No Preferred Reference Frame at the Foundation of Quantum Mechanics. Reference numbers here correspond to that paper.…
Quantum Mechanics and the Famous Double-slit Experiment
Double-slit Key PointsQuantum mechanics is known for its strangeness, including phenomena like wave-particle duality, which allows particles to behave…
A Beginner Physics Guide to Baryon Particles
Baryon Introduction
At the beginning of the 20th century, it was thought that all matter consisted of only three particles: the electron, the neutron,…
Answering Mermin’s Challenge with the Relativity Principle
Note: This Insight was previously titled, "Answering Mermin's Challenge with Wilczek's Challenge." While that version of this Insight did not involve any…
The Classical Limit of Quantum Mechanical Commutator
The Classical Limit of Commutator (without fancy mathematics)
Quantum mechanics occupies a very unusual place among physical theories: It contains classical…
What is the Double Slit? A 5 Minute Introduction
Definition/Summary
The double-slit is a simple configuration used to demonstrate interference effects in waves.Equations
At distances that are…
The 7 Basic Rules of Quantum Mechanics
For reference purposes and to help focus discussions on Physics Forums in interpretation questions on the real issues, there is a need for fixing the common…
Clarifying Common Issues with Indistinguishable Particles
Commonly there is a lot of imprecision in talking about ''indistinguishable'' (or ''identical'') particles, even in serious work. This Insight article…
A Classical View of the Qubit
This Insight article is part of my paper Foundations of quantum physics III. Measurement, featuring the thermal interpretation of quantum physics. See…
9 Reasons Quantum Mechanics is Incomplete
I argue that all interpretations of quantum mechanics (QM) are incomplete, each for its own reason. I also point out that for some interpretations (those…
Against “interpretation”
I am against "interpretations" of Quantum Mechanics (QM) in a sense in which John Bell [1] was against measurement in QM and Travis Norsen [2] is against…
The Quantum Mystery of Wigner’s Friend
In this Insight I will introduce the quantum mystery called ``Wigner's friend'' using Healey's version [1] of Frauchiger and Renner's (FR's) version [2]…
The Unreasonable Effectiveness of the Popescu-Rohrlich Correlations
In this Insight, I will show how the Popescu-Rohrlich (superquantum) correlations provide an unreasonable advantage in a particular "quantum guessing game''…
Why the Quantum | A Response to Wheeler’s 1986 Paper
Wheeler's opening statement in his 1986 paper, ``How Come the Quantum?'' holds as true today as it did then [1]
The necessity of the quantum in the construction…
How to Better Define Information in Physics
When I ask questions about the conservation of information I frequently get the reply, “It depends on what you mean by information.” So, I researched…
Addressing the “Classical Physics Is Wrong” Fallacy
One of the common questions or comments we get on PF is the claim that classical physics or classical mechanics (i.e. Newton's laws, etc.) is wrong because…
The Fundamental Difference in Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics
A topic that continually comes up in discussions of quantum mechanics is the existence of many different interpretations. Not only are there different…
Introduction to Perturbative Quantum Field Theory
This is the beginning of a series that gives an introduction to perturbative quantum field theory (pQFT) on Lorentzian spacetime backgrounds in its…
How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Orthodox Quantum Mechanics
Many people here know that I am a "Bohmian", i.e. an adherent of a very non-orthodox interpretation of quantum mechanics (QM). Indeed, in the past, I have…
Learn Entanglement Entropy in Quantum Mechanics
Quantum Mechanics(QM) is one of the greatest intellectual achievements in human history. Not only because it describes the world at the microscopic level…
Explore The Vacuum Fluctuation Myth in Quantum Theory
This Insight Article is a sequel of the Insight Articles ”The Physics of Virtual Particles” and “Misconceptions about Virtual Particles“ which…
Why Is Quantum Mechanics So Difficult?
Quantum Mechanics Key points:Quantum mechanics (QM) is often perceived as difficult, especially by non-physicists.
The difficulty lies in the…
Learn the Top Misconceptions about Virtual Particles
This Insight Article is a sequel to the Insight Article ''The Physics of Virtual Particles'', which contains an exposition of definitions that are physically…
How the EPR Paradox Fits Between Entanglement and Nonlocality
If we violate a Bell inequality, we know we have quantum entanglement, and it used to be thought that these two notions were one and the same.At least,…
Tools to Enrich our Quantum Mechanics Interpretations Discourse
IntroductionMany times, we encounter ourselves tangled in some Quantum Mechanics (QM) interpretations debates. Unfortunately, the standard…
Examples of Prequantum Field Theories IV: Wess-Zumino-Witten-type Theories
At the end of this page, we will have come full circle back to the first article in the series 20 years ago -- The M-Theory Conjecture.We…
Struggles With The Continuum: Quantum Mechanics of Charged Particles
Last time we saw that nobody yet knows if Newtonian gravity, applied to point particles, truly succeeds in predicting the future. To be precise:…
Learn a Misconception of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle
One of the common misconceptions about the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle (HUP) is that it is the fault of our measurement accuracy.A description…
Why You Can’t Quantum Tunnel Through a Wall
What is quantum tunneling?
Quantum tunneling is a phenomenon in quantum mechanics where particles exhibit the ability to pass through energy barriers…
Retrocausality: How Fundamental is the Arrow of Time?
In this Insight, I'll discuss a recent experiment ([1] [2] [3]) by some Australian physicists that has brought a thought experiment into the real world…
Weak Values Part 2: The Quantum Cheshire Cat Experiment
In a previous Insight, Weak Values Part 1: "Asking Photons Where They Have Been," I showed different methods for computing the relative intensities in…
How to Visualize the 2-D Particle in a Box
Introduction
The particle in a box is a staple of entry-level Quantum Mechanics classes because it provides a meaningful contrast between classical and…