Quantum mechanics writ large
Some two centuries before the quantum revolution, Newton (1) suggested that corpuscles of light generate waves in an aethereal medium like skipping stones generate waves in water, with their motion then being affected by these aether waves. Times have changed. Light corpuscles are now known as photo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
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National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)
2013
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/80406 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7936-7256 |
| _version_ | 1826188962740305920 |
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| author | Bush, John W. M. |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mathematics |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mathematics Bush, John W. M. |
| author_sort | Bush, John W. M. |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Some two centuries before the quantum revolution, Newton (1) suggested that corpuscles of light generate waves in an aethereal medium like skipping stones generate waves in water, with their motion then being affected by these aether waves. Times have changed. Light corpuscles are now known as photons, and the majority of physicists have dispensed with the notion of aether. Nevertheless, certain features of Newton's metaphor live on in one particular version of quantum mechanics. According to pilot wave theory, first proposed by de Broglie (2) and later developed by Bohm (3) with Einstein's encouragement, microscopic elements such as photons and electrons consist of both particle and wave, the former being guided by the latter. Although this physical picture has not been widely accepted, it has had some notable proponents, including Bell (4). Its principal appeal is that it restores realism and determinism to quantum mechanics, its weakness that the physical nature of the guiding wave field remains unclear. At the time that pilot wave theory was developed and then overtaken by the Copenhagen interpretation as the standard view of quantum mechanics, there was no macroscopic pilot wave analog to draw upon. Now there is. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T08:07:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/80406 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T08:07:42Z |
| publishDate | 2013 |
| publisher | National Academy of Sciences (U.S.) |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/804062022-09-30T07:42:08Z Quantum mechanics writ large Bush, John W. M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mathematics Bush, John W. M. Some two centuries before the quantum revolution, Newton (1) suggested that corpuscles of light generate waves in an aethereal medium like skipping stones generate waves in water, with their motion then being affected by these aether waves. Times have changed. Light corpuscles are now known as photons, and the majority of physicists have dispensed with the notion of aether. Nevertheless, certain features of Newton's metaphor live on in one particular version of quantum mechanics. According to pilot wave theory, first proposed by de Broglie (2) and later developed by Bohm (3) with Einstein's encouragement, microscopic elements such as photons and electrons consist of both particle and wave, the former being guided by the latter. Although this physical picture has not been widely accepted, it has had some notable proponents, including Bell (4). Its principal appeal is that it restores realism and determinism to quantum mechanics, its weakness that the physical nature of the guiding wave field remains unclear. At the time that pilot wave theory was developed and then overtaken by the Copenhagen interpretation as the standard view of quantum mechanics, there was no macroscopic pilot wave analog to draw upon. Now there is. National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant CBET-0966452) 2013-09-11T20:46:59Z 2013-09-11T20:46:59Z 2010-09 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 0027-8424 1091-6490 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/80406 Bush, J. W. M. “Quantum mechanics writ large.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107, no. 41 (October 12, 2010): 17455-17456. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7936-7256 en_US http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1012399107 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ application/pdf National Academy of Sciences (U.S.) PNAS |
| spellingShingle | Bush, John W. M. Quantum mechanics writ large |
| title | Quantum mechanics writ large |
| title_full | Quantum mechanics writ large |
| title_fullStr | Quantum mechanics writ large |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quantum mechanics writ large |
| title_short | Quantum mechanics writ large |
| title_sort | quantum mechanics writ large |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/80406 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7936-7256 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT bushjohnwm quantummechanicswritlarge |