Are some elementary particles too massive to obey QM?

In summary, QM effects are often negligible for large objects due to a large number of degrees of freedom, but this is not the case for massive elementary particles.
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rasp
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I understand photons and elections fit into the probalistic rules of QM. Are there any other elementary particles (more massive) that don’t obey the point/wave duality?
 
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A composite particle consisting of 810 atoms had been shown to produce interference pattern. If something that humongous shows QM behavior, do you think something significantly smaller than that such as "elementary particles", even more massive ones, would not?

Zz.
 
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  • #3
rasp said:
I understand photons and elections fit into the probalistic rules of QM. Are there any other elementary particles (more massive) that don’t obey the point/wave duality?
Large mass by itself is not a reason to neglect QM effects. The QM effects are often negligible for large objects not because they have a large mass, but because they have a large number of degrees of freedom (i.e. consist of many elementary particles). Namely, larger number of degrees of freedom implies faster decoherence, which is why quantum effects become negligible very fast. On the other hand, you ask about massive elementary particles, and "elementary" implies that they do not have a large number of degrees of freedom. Hence the answer to your question is - no.
 
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1. What is QM and how does it relate to elementary particles?

QM stands for quantum mechanics, which is a fundamental theory of physics that describes the behavior of particles at the microscopic level. It is used to understand and predict the behavior of elementary particles, which are the building blocks of matter.

2. Can all elementary particles be described by QM?

Yes, all known elementary particles can be described by QM. It has been successfully used to explain the behavior of particles such as electrons, protons, and neutrons.

3. Are some elementary particles too massive to obey QM?

It is possible that some extremely massive elementary particles may not behave according to the principles of QM. However, there is currently no evidence to suggest that this is the case.

4. How does the mass of an elementary particle affect its behavior in relation to QM?

The mass of an elementary particle does not directly affect its behavior in relation to QM. However, the mass of a particle can influence its interactions with other particles and its overall behavior in certain physical situations.

5. Are there any experiments being conducted to test the validity of QM for massive elementary particles?

Yes, there are ongoing experiments, such as the Large Hadron Collider, that are attempting to study the behavior of massive elementary particles and test the limits of QM. However, the results of these experiments are still inconclusive and further research is needed.

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