Why is quantum mechanics scary? What have scientists discovered?

Tech 2023-06-06 06:34:02 Source: Network

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Quantum mechanics is a theory that describes microscopic objects, and together with relativity, it is considered the two pillars of modern physics. The basic concepts of quantum mechanics include quantum states, measurement, wave particle duality, uncertainty principles, and so on. In quantum mechanics, particles do not move according to trajectories like classical physics, but are described in the form of waves, and their behavior has uncertainty and statistical properties, At the same time, quantum mechanics also describes the interactions between particles and how they transmit information through the emission and absorption of photons. In quantum mechanics, there is a very famous saying: God does not roll the dice, which was actually used by Einstein to refute the explanation given by physicist Bohr to quantum mechanics. To understand this sentence, we need to start from Newton, who was the founder of the scientific community, He believed that light was a particle, and for a long time, the notion that light was a particle ruled the scientific community for hundreds of years.

Later, some scientists believed that light was a type of wave, so is light a particle or a wave? In order to study whether light is a wave or a particle, scientists conducted an experiment called the double slit interference experiment. The principle of the experiment is to let a monochromatic light pass through two closely spaced small holes, and then observe the pattern formed by the light on the screen from a distance. If the light is a particle, then we should be able to see two bright spots, corresponding to two small holes. If the light is a wave, So we should be able to see a bright and dark stripe. After the first experiment, scientists discovered interference stripes on the frequency screen. In the second experiment, scientists installed cameras next to the slits. Scientists wanted to see how photons actually pass through the slits. According to the observation scientists, electrons did not pass through two slits at the same time, but only through one of them.

However, scientists were surprised that the interference fringes on the screen disappeared and became two bars. If scientists took away the detector, the interference fringes on the screen would appear, which indicates that human observation affects the final results of the experiment. Finally, scientists defined that light has wave particle duality. After this experiment, scientists found that whether light is a wave or a particle is related to the observer, When there is no observer in the double slit interference experiment, the particles are in the superposition state. When this superposition state passes through the double slit, half will pass through the A slit and the other half will pass through the B slit. When there is no observer, the quantum is in the superposition state, so what we see is the particle shape. When we observe it, we can see whether it passes through the A slit or the B slit, Due to the particle's path being locked, the interference fringes disappear, and at this point they become waves.

This phenomenon shocked the whole scientific community. Scientists have always believed that the observer does not affect the final result of things, but in quantum mechanics, the observer is very important, which violates classical physics. In classical physics, the final result of things can be calculated in advance. For example, when we throw a basketball into the air, whether we go to observe it or not, Its final results will fall to the ground, but in quantum mechanics, it breaks this conclusion. In short, in quantum mechanics, the final results of things must be related to observer. At that time, all scientists did not know why? A famous leader of the Copenhagen School, Bohr, believed that electrons are described in the form of probability clouds at all positions before and after passing through the double slits. Therefore, interference fringes appear when passing through the double slits, which are actually probability distributions.

If we observe with a camera, the electrons will lock in a certain position, resulting in two stripes. When Einstein heard this explanation, he thought it was just a scam. According to this statement, when the electrons are about to reach the screen, they don't know where they will fall, only at the moment they are about to arrive, it's like rolling dice and choosing a place to fall, Einstein couldn't accept this probabilistic explanation, so he refuted Bohr and said, 'God doesn't know how to roll dice,' while Bohr countered by saying, 'Don't tell God what to do.'. The debate between the two individuals lasted for many years without any results, until the 20th century when Heisenberg proposed the uncertainty principle, which solved the debate between Einstein and Bohr. The uncertainty principle stated that at any given point in time, you cannot accurately measure the momentum and position of particles simultaneously.

This uncertainty does not depend on the quality of the equipment, nor is it because it is difficult to eliminate measurement errors. No matter how we do it, we cannot accurately measure these two quantities at the same time, such as momentum and energy. If we want to measure an electron and you want to measure its position, you need to use photons or other particles to impact it. The more accurate you want to measure the position of the electron, you need to use light with shorter wavelengths. If you use light with too long wavelengths, it will directly pass around, and the shorter the wavelength of light, the greater the energy. If you use high-energy photons to impact the electron, it will knock it away, making the momentum of the electron uncertain, So the more you want to accurately measure the position of an electron, the greater the interference it will have on its dynamics, making its dynamics even more uncertain. Therefore, we cannot accurately determine the position and momentum of the electron at the same time.

This is like a police officer catching a thief. If the police knew the thief's location in advance, they would not know the thief's escape route. If the police knew the thief's escape route, they would not know the specific location of the thief. If both were known, there would be no thief because they had already been caught. In quantum mechanics, there are many phenomena that people cannot understand, and this is the magic of quantum mechanics, I believe many people feel like they haven't figured it out when they see quantum mechanics. The once famous scientist Einstein said, 'If quantum mechanics is right, then the world will be a bit crazy.' Bohr once said, 'Who wouldn't be surprised by quantum mechanics theory because it hasn't understood it yet?' Mr. Feynman said, 'I think I can quite confidently say that no one can truly see quantum mechanics.'.

The magic of quantum mechanics lies in its uncertainty. We often say that there are exceptions to everything, which is vividly reflected in quantum mechanics. In classical physics, what is wrong is wrong, and what is right is right. For example, any object thrown into the air will eventually fall to the ground and cannot fly to the sky. This is undeniable, but in quantum mechanics, everything is possible, Because observer can change the final results, among which the more famous thought experiment is Schrodinger's cat. In fact, Schrodinger's cat was first proposed to oppose quantum mechanics, because Schrodinger and Einstein believed that things will only have one result in the end, just like a cat in a box, there will only be one result, death or alive, and it is impossible to have both death and alive at the same time.

But with people's in-depth study of quantum mechanics, Schrodinger's cat has become a classic thought experiment of quantum mechanics. The experiment process is about this: put a cat in a closed box, and then put a device inside the box, including an atomic nucleus and a poison gas facility. The atomic nucleus has a 50% probability of decay. When the atomic nucleus decays, it will release a poison gas, At this point, the cat will be poisoned to death. If the atomic nucleus does not decay, the poison gas will not be released, and the cat will not die. The most direct way to know whether the cat has died is to open the box, so that we can clearly see whether the cat has died. If we explain it according to classical physics, the cat will only have one result.

According to the superposition state theory, in the micro world, particles can be located in multiple places at the same time. What's more strange is that the superposition state will collapse into a certain state until someone observes it. Later, scientists put forward the concept of parallel universe by using the superposition state principle. In Schrodinger's cat thought experiment, when no one opens the box, there are actually two different worlds in the box, One is our real world, and the other is a parallel world. When no one observes it, these two worlds will coexist. When we open the box to observe it, one of the parallel worlds will disappear, so in the end, only one world will be left. Although scientists have not yet discovered a parallel universe in the universe, they believe that a parallel universe must exist in our world.

Until today, scientists have not been able to solve all the mysteries of quantum mechanics. Many scientists are afraid of quantum mechanics. Many scientists have learned from the experiments of quantum mechanics that our world may be virtual, just like particles. It can feel that someone is observing it, so it will change according to the behavior of observer. If our world is really virtual, So what is the meaning of our lives? Perhaps every one of us has been destined for a good life since birth, but we don't know it ourselves. Although scientists are still actively studying the mysteries of quantum mechanics, with current human technology, there is still a long way to truly understand quantum mechanics.

However, the editor believes that even though our world is virtual, we can still truly feel everything in this world. As the most intelligent life on Earth, humans have been continuously exploring the mysteries of the world since its birth. Now that humans have been able to explore the universe outside the Earth, this indicates that human technology is developing rapidly, and in the vast universe, there are still many secrets that we do not know, Human beings are always full of curiosity about the unknown world, and it is precisely because of this curiosity that humans can go further. The editor hopes that humanity can soon unravel the mysteries of the universe. I hope that human civilization can develop for a long time. Regarding this, what other magical phenomena do you think exist in quantum mechanics?

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