What is the relationship between atomic clocks and particle waves?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the relationship between atomic clocks and particle waves, particularly in the context of quantum mechanics (QM) and relativistic effects experienced in fast-moving environments like satellites or the International Space Station. Participants explore the implications of conducting the double slit experiment in such settings and the effects of speed on time perception and wave behavior.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions whether QM would fail in a fast-moving satellite, suggesting that the results of a double slit experiment could differ due to relativistic effects.
  • Another participant argues that speed relative to a laboratory on Earth does not affect the double slit experiment, emphasizing that light is always observed to travel at the same speed regardless of the observer's motion.
  • Concerns are raised about the implications of QM functioning consistently in orbit, with participants noting that the operation of semiconductor electronics in spacecraft relies on QM principles.
  • Discussion includes the idea that if QM did not hold true in different frames of reference, it could lead to catastrophic consequences for astronauts and the integrity of matter.
  • A participant expresses curiosity about the relationship between atomic clocks and particle waves, questioning if the speed of an atomic clock on an airplane affects its timekeeping relative to a stationary clock on Earth.
  • There is speculation about whether the perceived speed of photons could indicate they are not constant, and how this might relate to the distortion of particle waves.
  • References are made to time dilation effects observed in the Hafele-Keating experiment and GPS systems, suggesting these phenomena could provide insights into the discussion.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the effects of speed on quantum mechanics and the behavior of light and time. There is no consensus on the implications of conducting experiments in fast-moving frames or the nature of photons and particle waves.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight limitations in understanding the effects of relativistic speeds on quantum phenomena, with some statements depending on specific definitions of speed and reference frames. The discussion remains open-ended regarding the relationship between atomic clocks and particle waves.

Flux
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Would QM fail in the fast moving satellite or Int. Space Station if I conducted the double slit experiment in the space station, which is traveling allot faster then most jets. This would be like the clocks experiment where both times were different; the one on the plane being allot slower then the one on Earth.
So essentially, I would predict that my wave on the plane would be shorter somehow or show up different on the wall compared to the wave produced by the double slit experiment on Earth. Has an experiment been done like this yet?
I am on Chapter 4 of The Fabric of the Cosmos.

As I reach the speed of light my perception of light 'catches up' with light speed a so therefore I 'notice' fluctuations in the wave. I comprehend the wave at all speeds because my brain somehow comprehends faster then light, yet my eyes aren't equipped to fully notice it. There is an experiment that says our noses are as powerful as a dogs yet we don't notice it but we can if we focus, but that's another experiment.

Also comprehending the wave at slow speeds could prove there could be an extra particle holding the wave in place like Aether.
Also if planet Earth is traveling very quickly or FTL from the rotation of the Galaxy how does that factor in. I would think as we test or 'hit' the photons they slow down so we fold space in some way so our bodies could move faster.
 
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Flux said:
Would QM fail in the fast moving satellite or Int. Space Station if I conducted the double slit experiment in the space station, which is traveling allot faster then most jets. This would be like the clocks experiment where both times were different; the one on the plane being allot slower then the one on Earth.
So essentially, I would predict that my wave on the plane would be shorter somehow or show up different on the wall compared to the wave produced by the double slit experiment on Earth. Has an experiment been done like this yet?
I am on Chapter 4 of The Fabric of the Cosmos.
I haven't read that book but the answer to your question is that speed (relative to, say, a laboratory on the surface of the earth) has no effect on the double slit experiment. Your reference to clocks is just that the one on an airplane runs slower than the one on earth. In a "double slit experiment" what are you going to compare to on the earth?

As I reach the speed of light my perception of light 'catches up' with light speed a so therefore I 'notice' fluctuations in the wave. I comprehend the wave at all speeds because my brain somehow comprehends faster then light, yet my eyes aren't equipped to fully notice it. There is an experiment that says our noses are as powerful as a dogs yet we don't notice it but we can if we focus, but that's another experiment. Also comprehending the wave at slow speeds could prove there could be an extra particle holding the wave in place like Aether.
I have no idea what you are talking about here. No matter how fast we are moving (we can't "reach the speed of light"), we always see light traveling at the same speed relative to us. I don't know where you got the idea that your brain would "comprehend faster" at high speed (again, relative to what? As long as you are not comparing two different frames of reference speed doesn't exist).

Also if planet Earth is traveling very quickly or FTL from the rotation of the Galaxy how does that factor in.
The speed of the Earth relative to the center of the Earth is very small compared to the speed of light. There are no observable relativistic effects due to it.
I would think as we test or 'hit' the photons they slow down so we fold space in some way so our bodies could move faster.
Again, I can't make sense of this. When we "hit" photons they are absorbed by electrons in our bodies and no longer exist. You CAN'T "slow down" photons. A basic principle of relativity is that every photon moves at the same speed relative to any frame of reference.
 
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Flux said:
Would QM fail in the fast moving satellite or Int. Space Station

If this were true, astronauts would be in big trouble because the operation of their crafts' semiconductor electronics depends on QM working the same way in orbit as it does on earth.
 
jtbell said:
If this were true, astronauts would be in big trouble because the operation of their crafts' semiconductor electronics depends on QM working the same way in orbit as it does on earth.

Not only that, their bodies would probably fall apart. Everything is the result of quantum mechanical interactions between the particles (or excitations of fields) that make up our bodies and all matter and radiation.
 
masudr said:
Not only that, their bodies would probably fall apart.

One could argue that without relativity, life would be impossible, and therefore, speical relativity must be true by the anthropic principle.:smile:
 
Sorry, got a little carried away with this book I am reading, just tacked on a few to many extra thoughts there.
Basically I was asking about observing very accurate atomic clocks and a possible relationship with particle waves. The clocks seem closely based on the speed of photons(?).
In the experiment an airplane with an atomic clock is either traveling toward the observer on the Earth or away from him speeding up the plane observer, or the clocks, perception or slowing them down as compared to an observer of a separate clock on Earth. The Earth's rotation also plays a large roll in changing the velocity of all observers.
If I'm on the plane am I going faster then light speed here? Am I getting a faster clock simply by moving relative to a clock at rest and showing that photons can slow down? Would that effect a particle wave in a similar way by distorting it? A little more descriptive, if photons speed up and slow down doesn't that prove that they're not constant or I am dealing with something different by understating it?
In a sense that I can see a particle wave that has features I would assume I could distort that wave somehow.

Time Dilation and the Hafele-Keating experiment:
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/relativ/airtim.html

There is also something called GPS Time Dilation to make up for reletavistic effects.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hafele-Keating_experiment
 
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