Quantum Mechanics with Dr. Bryan C. Sanctuary

Archive for March, 2010

Resonance

The second major difference is that microscopic reality displays degenerate states. One example is different states can have the same energy, and we say that the energy of these states is degenerate.  This leads to resonance that also does not exist macroscopically.

Two structures can be different but have the same energy.  Quantum mechanics considers that both exist simultaneously as a superposition of the two.

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Microscopic and Macroscopic reality is different

In this entry I will discuss the difference between reality at the microscopic and macroscopic levels.

Last time I talked about where quantum mechanics fits and called the domain that lies beyond measure the quantum.  Let us suppose that the statistical nature of quantum mechanics can somehow be bridged, so that quantum noise can be resolved into structure by a deeper sub quantum theory.

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Where quantum mechanics fits.

Last time I discussed a bit about how scientists view Nature at molecular dimensions. One of the reasons scientists think that quantum mechanics is a complete theory of the microscopic is because it is capable of explaining all objective data.  Well as we will see, not quite all.  There is one experiment that causes trouble but otherwise with no evidence of anything deeper.  How can we know if a sub-quantum domain actually exists?

Requirements of a physical theory

The least we should expect from a physical theory is that it is consistent with reality; completely explains all phenomena; and deterministically allows for events to be predicted from some initial cause.  We also should expect interactions to be local.

Quantum mechanics fails in all these.

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